


Mina, Come Out!

by jidubchaeng



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: 2na, F/F, Fluff, MiHyun, Mimo, Minayeon, Mitzu, as realistic as possible, jeongmi, michaeng, mihyo, misana
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-11
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2019-07-10 22:37:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 31,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15959009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jidubchaeng/pseuds/jidubchaeng
Summary: What’s Mina gonna do? Say no?





	1. Mina

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first time I've written a fic in third person perspective, so this was a bit awkward to write, but I hope it's pleasant to read either way!

Sana peeked through the crack of the door and was not surprised when she saw Mina positioned the exact way that she had last seen her; lying down, curled up on her side in a blanket, with her laptop sideways. This time, though, a different movie was playing. Though she didn’t know anything about superhero movies, Sana was sure of it.

She couldn’t help but let the pout form on her lips.

 _Minari hasn’t moved at all_ …

It worried the older Japanese girl. She knew Mina didn’t mind staying in the same position for hours on end, but it wasn’t the same for Sana. Sana loved going out, shopping and eating out with the members whenever she had the chance. Seeing Mina like this every break they had...she simply couldn’t comprehend what was so fun about it.

She stepped inside and shut the door quietly. A head popped up from behind the blanket and Sana saw Mina’s small smile.

“Oh, hi, Sana!” Now that she saw who it was, Mina immediately put her head back down and hit the space bar on her laptop, resuming the movie. Sana frowned a bit, but removed it from her face immediately. She _had_ interrupted her.

“Hey, Mitang, whatcha watchin’?” she whispered, allowing Mina to not miss what was going on in the movie. Still, Mina paused it again, not a hint of annoyance in her eyes as she sat up to speak to Sana.

“No, no, it’s okay. I’m just checking up on you.” Sana pressed on Mina’s chest and laid her back down, covering Mina up with the blanket as best as she could, making sure she was snug and warm.

“Okay. I’m fine, Sana. Thank you. Just watching Doctor Strange.” Mina gestured at the paused screen; it had a white man on it, seemingly casting a spell of some sort. Sana didn’t know what was going on, but it looked somewhat familiar.

“Hmm. Haven’t you watched it already? You watched it with Jihyo and Nayeon, did you not? At the theaters, if I recall correctly, the week it came out?” Sana asked after a bit of contemplation. She was sure she’d heard Jihyo mention it before.

“I have, but it’s good to watch something more than once, to see what you missed the first few times. I’ve caught a few things these past five times I’ve watched it.”

_F-FIVE?!_

Mina snuggled deeper into the blanket and stared longingly at the laptop, probably wanting to continue the movie but too shy to ask Sana to leave.

Sana understood and got up, quietly sighing. “I get you. Sorry for interrupting, Mina. Just remember that if you need anything, me and the other members are here. I love you.” Sana leaned over, kissing Mina on the temple as gently as she could, then giggled when she saw Mina blush the tiniest bit.

“O-okay, Sana. Thank you. I’ll remember that…” Mina hesitated a bit before saying “I love you too.”

Sana flashed her a smile and left the room, not wanting to keep Mina from her movie for too long.

She leaned against the wall outside the room and sighed once more. Mina never really does anything except watch movies. Doesn’t it ever get boring?

Sana pushed herself off the wall and closed her eyes. _Should I do something about it? Or would Mina find it annoying?_

Of course she didn’t want to bother her, she really didn’t, but surely something new would be good for Mina.

Sana decided to risk it and come up with a plan of some sorts to get Mina out of her room and spend more time with the members.

Sana headed toward the youngest girls’ room and knocked quietly. Chaeyoung was on the ground, painting on top of a plastic bag meant to protect the carpet from paint stains. Dahyun was watching Chaeyoung paint from her bed as she ate a cup of ramen. Tzuyu was nowhere in sight.

“Hel-lo!” Sana said in a sing-songy voice. Dahyun smiled at Sana and invited her to sit with her on her bed. Sana obliged immediately.

“Heya. Need something?” she asked. Sana nodded.

“Can you two come to the living room, please? I want to talk about something.”

Sana looked in time to catch the fear flash in Chaeyoung’s eyes. “D-did something happen? Is something wrong?” she asked, her voice full of uncertainty.

“No, Chaengie, don’t worry! I just want to talk. It’s about Mina. Nothing bad, I promise.”

Chaeyoung put a hand to her heart, as if to stop it from beating so hard.

“We’ll go,” Dahyun said, gripping Sana’s hand. “Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s important. You’ve never called for a meeting before, I think.”

“What if I just wanna announce that you and I are getting married?” Sana teased, batting her eyelashes at her. Dahyun turned pink and she smacked Sana’s back.

After a small laughing fit, Sana shook her head. She explained that they would see in a bit why the meeting was being called and that she had to talk to the other members first. Sana would signal for all of them to come once she had spoken to the other five.

Sana wasted no time and immediately made her way to the living room, where, thankfully, the remaining members were at. Momo and Nayeon were laughing like hyenas at something on Nayeon’s phone while Jihyo and Tzuyu were playing a game on the console. Jeongyeon simply sat on the couch and laughed at Jihyo for losing for what was apparently the third time in a row. Jihyo paused the game and got up to smack Jeongyeon, and at that moment she noticed Sana standing there, waiting for a good time to get their attention.

“Oh, hey, Sana. How long have you been standing there? You didn’t see that, did you?” she asked with her hand positioned to smack Jeongyeon's head.

Sana blinked a few times and smiled. “See what?” That earned her a protest from Jeongyeon.

Jihyo smirked and nodded approvingly. “Need something?”

Sana sat with Jeongyeon on the couch, worrying everyone with the sudden serious expression on her face.

“I want to hold a meeting with everyone. Excluding Mina. Can you do that, Jihyo?”

Jihyo shifted uncomfortably. “Excluding Mina? Is everything alright?”

Sana could see that Jihyo was already running a million possibilities through her head as to what was going on, probably already coming up with a solution to any fight they might have had. She felt a bit proud of her leader for that, even if her worry was for nothing.

“Everything is fine, don’t worry. Jeez, everyone jumps to the conclusion that something bad happened.”

Jihyo frowned and said “Well, it’s not everyday you ask for a meeting between the members. The few times that you have done it were for something pretty serious. Don’t forget that.”

Sana remembered. She apologized to the younger girl and hurried to clear everything up.

“Listen, it’s about Minari. Nothing too serious, I just need you guys’ opinion on something. Can you do that for me?”

Jihyo nodded. “I can do that. And you don’t want Mina to know, right?”

“Yes. She’ll know eventually. What I have planned isn’t going to be something we’ll be trying to hide. I just don’t want her to know for now.”

Jihyo, though confused, excused herself to quietly call for Dahyun and Chaeyoung. Once everyone (besides Mina) was gathered, Jihyo stood up and greeted them all.

“Good afternoon guys. I believe Sana has something to tell us. Please give her your full attention and don’t ask any questions until she finishes talking.”

They all knew the drill. The members all looked at Sana expectantly, all curious as to what she could possibly want, and why Mina wouldn’t be joining them.

“Well, I’ve been worried about Mina. Ever since promotions ended, we haven’t had much to do, I know that. The Pocari CF filming wasn’t much, so we’ve been able to do our thing and kind of relax a bit. Which is nice! Don’t get me wrong! But Mina hasn’t done anything but lay down and watch an endless stream of movies. I want to do something to get her out. At least for a while, you know?”

The members didn’t speak up for a while. It took a bit for Sana to realize that she hadn’t given them permission to speak yet. Once she did, opinions and comments bombarded her.

“What if she doesn’t want to do anything you suggest to her?” was one question that made it to her ears. It was Chaeyoung’s question, and Sana knew she was right.

Jihyo raised a hand and waited until the shouts ceased.

“Sana,” she began calmly, smiling gently at her, “I see what you are trying to do, and I get now why you wouldn’t want her here. She’d be sad that you’re worrying so much about her. Am I right?” When Sana nodded, Jihyo continued. “Good. I heard Chaeyoung’s question loud and clear. And she’s right. Maybe Mina is perfectly fine with the way she’s spending our break.”

Sana deflated. She thought it was a good plan, but judging by everyone else’s responses, maybe she should have kept it to herself.

“-But.” Jihyo said it loudly enough for Sana to snap back to the conversation. “But… There’s nothing wrong with wanting to spend time with her. I know from experience that Mina is a delight to be around. She’s a bit introverted, but if you take her out, she opens up a bit. It’s nice.”

Dahyun raised her hand. “I think I’d like that too. If we were to be honest, I’m a lot like Mina. I don’t get out of my room much, right? It’s not as extreme as Mina, but you get my point. When one of you guys ask me to hang out, it feels good. Even if I liked what I was doing, which is usually just sleep and watch dramas, it’s always fun in the end to spend time with you guys. I think Mina is the same, just a bit tougher to convince.”

Jeongyeon nodded. “I think it’s good too. She usually hangs out with you, Jihyo, and you always come back smiling like a dork. It’s cute, you know? I say we give it a chance. What exactly did you have in mind, Sana?”

“Well, I hadn’t really planned a whole lot," she said, rubbing her hands together nervously. "I didn’t think this far ahead. I honestly just wanted all of us to spend time with her. Take her out of her room for a bit, even if it’s just to get some fresh air. Our breaks aren’t ever this long, and I want to make this one a nice one. Dare I say, maybe even a memorable break?”

“That’s good,” Jihyo said. “I like that. Did you plan on all of us going together or in groups? I think maybe all nine of us wouldn’t be such a good idea. You know how it is.”

“We get really loud,” Momo said. “I doubt Mina is ever comfortable with that.”

Chaeyoung spoke up. “So then what? Do we split up and go hang out with her in groups? We don’t have a whole lot of time, I think. We better get this sorted out.”

Their manager stepped into the room and smiled timidly. “Sorry to barge into your discussion but I couldn’t help but overhear. You guys have practice tomorrow, unfortunately. The new choreography was slightly changed and you have to relearn it.” She waited for the groans to die down. “After that, though, you have exactly ten days of virtual freedom. So you guys have today and tomorrow to at least think of what you want to do with Mina. If you plan on taking her to a museum or something of the like, it's best to buy tickets in advance.”

Nayeon raised her hand to grab everyone’s attention. “Actually… we may not even need tomorrow to think about it. I have an idea that you all might like.”

Sana beamed at her. “What is it? I'm all ears.”

* * *

 

All the members, plus their manager, let out a “Wow~” in unison after hearing the plan. It was...actually pretty good?

Nayeon frowned. “Hey, _of course_ it’s a good plan. I’m smart! I have good ideas once in a while too.”

“Once in a while, yeah. But I think with that ‘Waa~’ we all just did, we all seem to agree with the plan? Remember, each member individually will take Mina on a date, making eight different activities for her to enjoy.” Jihyo said, grinning at everyone.

Tzuyu raised her hand. “Can I go first? I already have something in mind.”

Everyone was surprised to see the maknae want to start first, but nevertheless, they agreed to let Tzuyu start. It would give everyone else more time to come up with something to do with Mina.

Jihyo grabbed Sana by the shoulders and shook her lightheartedly. “Okay, Sana. You and Nayeon’s plan is in motion starting after tomorrow. Let’s all hope that Mina enjoys this and remembers it as a very nice experience.”

The members quietly did a cheer and quickly resumed their usual activities, and just in time too. Mina got up and exited the room right as the youngest members headed to their own.

“Hey. I got hungry. Sorry for not even saying hello to anyone all day…I got caught up in my movies, I guess.” She stopped when she saw the remaining girls looking at her suspisciously. “W-what’s up?”

Sana skipped up to her and rubbed her nose onto Mina’s shoulder. “Nothing Minari! We're all glad to see you're up is all! I’ll reheat something for you! Sit yourself down!”

* * *

 

From the other room, Dahyun and Chaeyoung stared from above Tzuyu’s shoulder as she pulled up a tab on her computer.

“I think Mina’s gonna love it,” Chaeyoung said approvingly as she saw what Tzuyu had in plan.

"Think so? I've seen Mina watch vlogs about it, and it interests me as well."

"It's genius. I better come up with something that's as good as this!" Dahyun said, running to grab her phone and begin her hunt for a good date.

Tzuyu smiled at the compliments her friends gave her as she finished typing and hit enter.

**_dog cafes near me  
_ **

**_(About 223,000,000 results)_ **


	2. MiTzu- Dog Café

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos!  
> I'm not sure how long each chapter will be- it'll all depend on how inspired I am for each member's date!

Mina knew something was up as soon as she saw Tzuyu at the door. 

She’d been lying down in her usual position, with the computer turned sideways to accommodate her, when the youngest member stepped into her room and smiled awkwardly.

Mina paused the movie and sat up, wondering what Tzuyu could possibly want. It wasn’t that she was upset about being interrupted. It was just odd to see Tzuyu willingly come into the room Mina shared with Jihyo, Sana and Nayeon.

“Hello, Tzuyu. Do you need something?” Mina patted the empty spot next to her, ready to talk to Tzuyu about whatever was bothering her. She was sure that that was the only reason she’d pay her a visit.

Tzuyu shook her head and sat next to her. “No, Mina. W-well, actually, yes. I do. I mean, technically I don’t–“ She confused herself and hid her face in her hands, trying to repeat the words she had practiced in her head. “I mean, I need you. I… I’m taking you out today.”

Mina stared at Tzuyu, saying nothing. She didn’t understand. 

_ Taking me out? _

Each second of silence became more and more unbearable for the Taiwanese girl. She hadn’t planned on it being this awkward. In her head, she had just told her to get dressed and join her on a date, easy peasy, but she guessed real life was harder than that. 

“You’re...taking me out? What do you mean?” Mina finally broke the silence. “I’m a little...busy, I guess you could say. I’m watching Black Pan—“

Tzuyu grabbed Mina’s arm and begged her to listen. Mina saw something in her eyes and immediately understood. It was the same silent plea Mina often used to get someone to listen to her. It was a thing that only quiet girls could ever truly understand.

“I… I see that you’re watching the movie. And I know you like it a lot… But I was wondering if maybe you wanted to hang out with me. Just me. We don’t spend much time together, you know?” Tzuyu let go of Mina’s arm and slid her hand into the other girl’s. “Please? I want to take you to a cool place. It’s a dog café.”

Mina’s ears perked up at those two words. Dog café? She hadn’t been to one in years. Maybe it was time to visit one again. 

“If you don’t want to, th-that’s fine, I can’t forc–“ Tzuyu began, but Mina held up the hand that wasn’t being held.

“A dog cafe, huh?” Mina smiled at her and nodded. “Okay, Tzuyu. Let’s go, not just because there will be dogs, but because you’re right. You and I don’t spend much time together. Let’s change that.”

Tzuyu visibly relaxed and fell into the bed. “Oh good. That was... difficult. Thank you for not making it harder.”

Mina giggled. “Why were you so nervous? Am I really that bad at getting out of my room?”

“Maybe,” Tzuyu shrugged, giving her a small smile. “It's not very often you get out, so I thought I'd have to drag you out. Now, get dressed! Our manager already started the van, so let’s not make her wait for too long.” After saying that, she got up and left the room, presumably to get dressed too.

Mina got up and started putting everything away. She was a bit excited about going out with Tzuyu. The girl was almost as reserved as Mina was, so spending time with her was going to be interesting, for sure. Plus, if there was anything Mina and Tzuyu agreed on, it was that dogs were the best thing on earth. 

Gladly she wouldn’t have to wait long to spend some time with cute dogs and her cute maknae. Tzuyu said that their manager was already in the van, so all she’d have to do was go down and...

Wait, what?

* * *

 

“I didn’t _really_ expect you to turn down an offer to visit a room full of dogs. You’re not heartless, Mina. That’s why I preemptively had the manager go out and start the van,” Tzuyu said through laughter. “Glad my instinct was correct.”

Mina looked out the car window in an attempt to hide the smile that was forming on her lips. Tzuyu knew her that well, huh? 

“We’re almost here, girls,” their manager said over her shoulder. 

Mina sat up, surprised at the announcement. They had just left their dorm, hadn’t they? 

“Already?” Mina asked, twisting in her seat to look behind them. She didn’t recognize anything, so she guessed they were definitely not anywhere near the area where they lived.

_ Maybe I enjoy Tzuyu’s company this much. Enough to lose track of time...  
_

Within a few minutes, they were on the sidewalk with their manager in tow. Tzuyu beamed at Mina and gestured for her to enter the building in front of them. Mina looked up. It didn’t look anything like the dog cafés she was used to. This one looked like a hotel from the outside. Were they at the right spot? 

Tzuyu looked like she was sure this was the place, so Mina took a deep breath and made her way into the place. She saw a sign right next to the door.

“ _Bau House_?” Mina mused out loud. It reassured her a bit. She was sure she’d heard somewhere that dogs barked like that in some language. Now she didn’t feel like she’d make a fool out of herself for walking into the wrong place.

“I’ve gone to this place with Jeongyeon, and I really love it, so I wanted to share this kind of experience with you!” Tzuyu explained, looking very excited to be here. 

Mina entered, was led into a booth and given a menu of some sorts. It had all of the consumable items the café sold printed on it. Mina was about to order something that had caught her eye, but she felt something nudging her leg.

Mina looked down and almost shrieked in delight when she saw a puppy tugging on her pant leg, trying to get her attention. 

“Ah! Hello! What a cutie!” Mina dropped the menu, got on her knees and rubbed the pup on the head.

Tzuyu ordered for Mina, knowing exactly what the older girl would want, and the employee left.

Mina picked the puppy up and showed it to Tzuyu. “Look, Tzuyu, he looks like Jeongyeon!”

This caused Tzuyu to laugh hysterically. It really didn’t look like Jeongyeon at all, but she saw where she was coming from. It had a small face and beautiful round eyes just like her!

Tzuyu joined Mina on the floor and they played with the puppy together for a bit.

“What kind of puppy is this? Do you know?” Mina asked the younger girl.

“I’m not a huge expert, but I think this is a Pomeranian? It looks just like Jeongyeon’s puppy, doesn’t it?”

“Bbosong? It does! Maybe Jeongyeon got Bbosong just because it looks like her a lot,” Mina joked.

“Let’s not tell her we said this. She might not like that we think she looks like a dog,” Tzuyu whispered. 

Mina nodded. It would be like their little inside joke.

“On second thought, though, I think Jeongyeon has told me multiple times that she thinks she looks like Bbosong. So maybe she wouldn’t mind at all. We can tell her afterwards, when we get back.  


Mina nodded. "If that's true, then I'm sure we'll make her day if we tell her!"

The employee arrived with their snacks while they spoke, so Mina got up, cleaned her hands and started digging in. She let herself think for a second. She was definitely having fun already, and they had just arrived, so she was sure the rest of the time spent with the youngest member would be just as great.  


Tzuyu seemed to notice that she was having fun, given that she was cutely flapping her feet the way she always did when she was super excited. She flashed Mina a brilliant smile before drinking the shake she had ordered. Silently, she handed Mina a different menu, one with pictures of many dogs plastered on the front cover.

She took it and opened it. “Meet the BauHouse family,” Mina read aloud.She squinted at the tiny words, and once they registered in her brain, she gasped.  


_Oh my god. These are the names of all the dogs in the cafe_. She quickly looked for a picture of the puppy they had just played with.

“H-his name is Namu!” Mina exclaimed excitedly. As if on cue, the dog scurried over and ran around her legs. 

“Hello, Namu! My name is Mina!” She looked over at the menu again to find his age. 

“He was born in 2010, Tzuyu! Oh my gosh, he’s a big boy!” 

Tzuyu laughed and nodded, incredibly amused by Mina’s reaction to Namu’s age. To be completely honest, Tzuyu had reacted the _exact_ same way the first time she visited the  café with Jeongyeon. Jeongyeon made fun of her at first, but Tzuyu knew that Jeongyeon was just as charmed by the dog as she was. 

Mina was using a baby voice on the puppy as she talked to him. “Namuuuu. Do you want some of this? Do you want some of my cookies?” The puppy barked and wagged his tail in response.

Mina looked at Tzuyu. “Are we allowed to feed the dogs?”

She nodded. “Pretty much everything they serve here is made in a way so that the dogs can enjoy them as well.” She slid off her chair and seated herself closer to Mina. She grabbed a cookie and placed it on Mina’s open palm. She explained that it was the best way to feed the dogs, with the food on the palm, in case they got too excited and bit her fingers. 

Mina nodded and extended her hand toward the puppy. It ate with gusto, leaving not even a single crumb. Mina gushed and reached for another cookie, repeating the action with a different puppy that got curious and came over.

Tzuyu watched the interaction with a smile and a fluttering heart. Mina was absolutely _adorable_ when she was with dogs. It was like watching a completely different person from the one that had been lying in bed in a fetal position not too long ago. While the other one had a neutral expression throughout the movies she watched, even during the funny scenes, this one was squealing and giggling happily as she fed two tiny puppies.

All of this awoke a feeling within Tzuyu that she hadn’t noticed was there before. It was warm and tingly, just like the feeling one got while playing with a puppy, or having a good conversation with a friend, except this one was better. More fulfilling. 

Maybe it was love? She wasn't quite sure. She'd never experienced this type of emotion ever.  


She didn’t dwell on it for too long, though, since Mina began to shake her leg.

“Hmm?” Tzuyu shook her head and slowly came back to the real world. She was met with a mountain of fur.

“Can I have the dog menu thingy, please? I want to see what other kinds of dogs they have!” Mina said this as she was slowly being buried alive by masses upon masses of dog. Tzuyu guessed that while she was realizing she was falling in love with Mina, Mina was busy being engulfed by puppies.

“Sure. You sure you can see the menu? I can hardly see your face at all,” Tzuyu joked. She handed her the menu anyway and watched as Mina slowly rose from the dogpile. Her black hair was slightly messy, but other than that, she looked like she hadn’t just been drowned in wet noses.

The Japanese girl sat cross legged on the floor and studied the menu with her tongue slightly sticking out. 

Was Mina always this cute, or was Tzuyu just now noticing every little detail? Is this what love did? Make Tzuyu find everything about Mina even more adorable than she had before?  


“Look,” Mina showed Tzuyu the menu, completely unaware of the younger girl’s stares. “This dog… it looks just like mine.”

Tzuyu studied the picture. It did indeed look like Mina’s dog, Ray. 

“This one is much younger though,” she said through a chuckle. “My Ray is old enough to be a grandpa!”

“If Ray heard that, I’m sure he’d bite you for that.”

“I doubt it. I mean, he probably wouldn’t even recognize me.” 

Tzuyu felt the shift in mood. Mina’s face no longer showed the adorable grin it had only seconds before. She lowered herself onto the ground where Mina was and patted her shoulder. “Why do you say that?”

Mina pursed her lips. “No reason. It was a random thought. Don't worry about it.”

Tzuyu thought about letting it go. Clearly Mina didn’t want to talk about it, or else she wouldn’t have avoided talking about it. But it was better to ask anyway and see how Mina reacted than to miss an opportunity for Mina to let out her worries. Maybe it would be a little annoying to press her on about Ray, but Tzuyu wouldn’t be sure until she asked. After all, this whole thing was about helping Mina open up to her members, right?  


“You can tell me, you know. I won’t judge. You know I won’t.” 

Mina didn’t say anything. Her expression was blank and she seemed to be staring into space. Tzuyu regretted her decision instantly and almost began to apologize for pressing the subject when Mina spoke up.

“You love your dog too, right?” Mina asked, still avoiding her eyes.

“Yes, of course. Gucci is like my baby.” 

“Okay. Then...you’d understand, wouldn’t you? You, better than most, understand what it’s like to love your dog. I see the pictures you post, I see the love you have for Gucci in your eyes, and I see in you what I feel for Ray...”

Tzuyu waited patiently for Mina to continue.

“Don’t you sometimes worry about being gone for so long that your dog won’t recognize you? That you’ll walk in, kneel, and wait for Gucci, only to see that she treats you like someone they’ve never met?” Mina absentmindedly played with the puppy in front of her, probably as a way to keep from looking at Tzuyu.

“I do. Gucci is old. I don’t remember how old right now, but she’s been with me for many years. Sometimes I come home and my biggest worry isn’t whether my brother will be there, whether my father will be happy to see me, whether my mother will greet me with a warm smile.” Tzuyu laughed awkwardly. “It seems silly, but my biggest worry when I open the door to my home is that Gucci won’t come running to me. That she’ll bark at me like I’m intruding into my own home.”

Mina nodded. “Exactly. That’s what I worry about too. Ray is an old dog. I’ve had him since I was young, you know this, but every time I come home I can’t help but get nervous. My mom always tells me not to worry. That all the Skype calls we have are enough to keep his memory of me vivid.”

The younger girl rubbed Mina’s shoulder in hopes she’d find it soothing. She had no idea that Mina had these kinds of thoughts too. If she’d known sooner, she would have talked about it with her.

“Mina? It’s okay to be worried about this kind of stuff. He was your best friend for many years. To be forgotten by your best friend…” Tzuyu’s sentence trailed off. “Why did you almost avoid talking about it?” 

Mina stopped petting the dog and, for the first time in a while, looked at Tzuyu in the eyes. 

“I don’t know. I guess it felt like a silly worry. Momo never talks about being worried that Lucky, Pudding and Petco won’t remember her and I don’t understand how. She's a foreign member too. She's away from them just as long as we are... So, yeah I don’t mention it. I’m afraid that if I bring it up, she’ll get worried too. That’s also why I never mentioned it to you. For a long time, I wondered if I was the only one that was terrified of being forgotten by their dog.” Mina pulled Tzuyu’s hand from her shoulder and put it in her hand instead, squeezing it tight. “If I had known that you were scared too, then maybe I would have talked to you about it.”

“Yeah, you should have, but that's okay. You know now. But Mina. you can talk to me about anything. None of your worries are silly at all. We’re in a team where talking about how we feel makes us thrive.”

Mina smiled a bit. It still held some sadness, but Tzuyu could tell that confiding her with her problem did in fact help, at least a little bit. “Okay. Even if you can’t relate to the problem I’m having, I can still talk to you?”

“Absolutely!”

"Even if the problem seems to be something that doesn't seem that deep at all?'

"Even then, Mina."

“Okay then. Listen, maybe another day we can talk about Ray a little more. For now, I don’t want to be downer for too long, so let’s enjoy our time together.”

_ Our time together. Wow that sounded so...so cute and lowkey romantic.  _ Tzuyu looked at their joined hands and tried her best not to swoon in that moment. 

“If you’re sure about it, then yes, let’s continue. But don't worry about being a downer. We all have our depressing moments.” 

“I’m sure. Just talking about it helped a lot, because I don’t feel so lonely about it anymore. It lifted some weight off my shoulders, I guess you could say.” Mina pursed her lips in thought. “Maybe I should confide in my members a bit more. If simply talking about my problems can cause this much peace within me, then I guess it’s time for me to do exactly that.”

“About that,” Tzuyu began, remembering what Sana had said two days before, about not necessarily keeping their plan a secret, “These next few days will give you opportunities to talk with us. I can’t tell you much, but just... know that all of the Twice members love you and want to spend more time with you.”

That got Mina curious. She wasn’t sure what Tzuyu meant by that, but she wasn’t going to press Tzuyu about the matter. Mina quite liked surprises, so she nodded at Tzuyu and winked. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Mina watched as Tzuyu doubled over, seemingly in pain. 

“Oh my god, are you okay?” Frantically, Mina turned to the seat where their manager was at and called her over.

Tzuyu waved their manager away, however, blushing like crazy and shaking her head. “Nothing’s wrong, Mina. It’s just– _your wink._ It was so cute.”

It was Mina’s turn to blush. She hid her face and groaned. “Gosh, was it? I bet it wasn’t even a good wink.” 

“It was cute! You’re cute!” Tzuyu pulled up the menu that listed all the dogs that resided in the Bau House. She turned the page and pointed at a caption at the top. “And I know exactly what’ll make you look cuter.”

Mina doubted it, but she read the caption anyway. 

“ _There’s a whole other floor with bigger dogs?!_ ” Mina half screamed, already grabbing Tzuyu and standing up to make her way there. “What are we doing here? Let’s go!”

Mina dragged Tzuyu towards the area with the larger dogs, her face full of excitement.

If one looked closely, they could see Tzuyu’s smug smile, as if to say _Told you I knew how to make you look cuter._

* * *

In the van, on their way back to the dorm, Mina and Tzuyu silently cuddled in the backseat.

Mina had spent all of her energy at the cafe, carrying the big dogs to show Tzuyu. Together, they played with the dogs and ran around with them. At one point, Mina bought two orders of twelve cookies and fed as many dogs as she could with Tzuyu. They didn't leave until every last cookie was devoured.  


Now, Mina was too tired to function. As soon as they sat down in the van, Mina had hugged Tzuyu’s arm and used her shoulder as a pillow.

Tzuyu was a bit uncomfortable with the way she was sitting, but never in a million years would she move, or else she’d disturb the older girl as she slept.

Maybe it was the relaxed atmosphere, or maybe it was the fact that they had spent so much time together that day, but something graced Tzuyu with enough courage to kiss the top of Mina’s head and confess.

“I love you, you know?” She whispered softly.

Mina had not fallen asleep. She’d just had her eyes closed the whole time. Tzuyu was startled when she heard a small voice next to her whisper something back.  


“I love you too, Tzuyu.” 

That was all she said. She just smiled and cuddled even closer.

Though Tzuyu was sure Mina didn’t love her the same way she did, she allowed herself to believe that maybe the love was mutual. She smiled and closed her eyes as well.

And so, the two girls stayed like that, cuddled and full of love, until they arrived at the dorm.


	3. MiChaeng- Movie Theater

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alright, MiChaengers. You won this round. This chapter ended up being longer than I anticipated, so there's more content for you guys!

The next day was an eventful day. Seemingly out of nowhere, Park Jinyoung had requested to eat breakfast with all of TWICE. All he wanted to do was congratulate them on their hard work and encourage them to continue to do so for the upcoming comeback. 

It was nice, Mina supposed, but it seemed unnecessary. Couldn’t he have sent something to the group chat the 10 shared? He always congratulated them that way before. Why did he pick that day of all days to actually make them get up and eat with him? All Mina could think about during the meeting was going back to the dorm and resting. 

When JYP finally ended the mini-meeting, Mina was the first out of the room and the first into the van. Their manager gave her an understanding smile.

* * *

 

_ Finally, time for myself. _

Mina was excited for what lay ahead. She had downloaded the new Justice League movie and planned on watching it at least two times before going to sleep. She had her popcorn ready, her blanket spread out, and her laptop plugged in to avoid losing power as she watched.

She had already settled into the blankets when she heard her phone vibrate on the bedside table she shared with Sana. 

> _ Chaeng: Hey Mina~ Wanna hang out?  _
> 
> _ Chaeng: I’m at the movie theater by myself and I saw that this cool superhero movie that is premiering today! _
> 
> _ Chaeng: I think you’ll like it~~~~ come join meeeeee _

Mina thought about it. She was a little tired from hanging out with Tzuyu the day before. She kinda wanted to stay in and just relax, because despite their manager assuring them that they’d have more than a week without anything to do, Mina was sure something would pop up and they’d be back in the dance studio. It almost always happened. She wanted to take advantage of the free time she had now before something came up.

There was also the problem that Mina constantly avoided thinking about: she was intimidated by the younger girl. There was something about Chaeyoung during the filming of _SIXTEEN_ that left a permanent impression on Mina, and it wasn’t…all that positive. Until she was ultimately taken down by God herself, Jihyo, Mina saw Chaeyoung as scary force to be reckoned with. Even after all these years she still felt something creep up her spine when Chaeyoung looked at her a certain way.

With that, she began typing.

> _ Me: Hey, Chaeng! I don’t think I can go. Sorry! Thanks for inviting me anyway!   _

She almost, _almost_ hit send when she recalled something. It was what Tzuyu had told her at the dog café; she’d said that all of the members wanted to spend more time with her. Surely, that's exactly why Chaeyoung was texting her at the moment.

Sure, she wanted to rest. But she wasn’t too exhausted, not enough to not join Chaeyoung. It was even a movie that the younger girl would normally never be interested in. Chaeyoung wasn’t the type to like superhero movies, so clearly she was trying to find something that Mina would like, probably to convince her to join. 

That was one thing about her that Mina liked. Though she was unaware of what Mina thought about her, Chaeyoung was just... constantly proving to her that she was not a scary untouchable person. It was just Mina, really. It was all in her head. And she knew that, but first impressions...those are always hard to shake off.

With all of that in mind, she gritted her teeth, hit backspace and sent the young Korean something different, hoping she wouldn’t regret it.

> _ Me: Okay! That sounds fun! Are you seriously there by yourself? _
> 
> _ Me: Silly, you should have asked me to join from the beginning!!! _

After some thought, she sent one more text.

> _ Me: I’m assuming manager already knows where to take me, huh? _

Her phone buzzed almost immediately.

> _ Chaeng: mmmaybeeeee _
> 
> _ Chaeng: So that’s a yes? _
> 
> _ Chaeng: hehe, don’t be long! _
> 
> _Chaeng: Thank u so much, Minari ♡_

Mina sighed, the little heart at the end of Chaeyoung’s text somewhat quelling the anxiety she was feeling. 

Really, though, it was high time to shed her fear of Chaeyoung once and for all. Being in a team with her meant that they all had to trust and love each other, and this fear had been holding Mina back from fully doing so.

After successfully shutting the laptop down, she went to search for Momo, donating her popcorn to her. Returning to the room, Mina began to look for a protective face mask and a padded jacket to wear. After all, Korea was cold outside this time of year.

* * *

 

Mina and their manager found Chaeyoung sitting outside the movie theater complex, coolly scrolling through her phone as she waited for her. 

The younger girl was wearing a mask but wasn’t wearing any clothes appropriate for the weather, so instead of saying hello, a concerned Mina ran and grabbed Chaeyoung by the arm and dragged her inside, where it was much warmer.

“Wait! Wh–Hey! Mina!” Chaeyoung shook Mina off, surprised by her actions. She looked around, hoping no creepy fansites had caught that on camera. It would seriously be taken the wrong way.  


“Chaeng, are you crazy? It’s cold outside! You could get sick from sitting around without at _least_ some long sleeves!” Mina rubbed Chaeyoung’s arms in an attempt to get rid of the goosebumps on them. In reply, Chaeyoung just laughed, glad that all that was happening was just Mina being overprotective.  


“I’m serious, Chaeng!” Mina shook her head, not really mad at Chaeyoung. She was just worried about her. “We’re a month away from a comeback, and I don’t plan on hearing you complain 24/7 about the wet nose you could have avoided.”

Chaeyoung tugged on Mina’s hair teasingly. “Yes, yes, who are you? Jihyo? I thought I asked Mina to join me?” She pulled on Mina’s protective face mask, as if to check that the correct girl was behind it. “What is it that she would say? ‘ _Chaeyoung! You’ve got to be more responsible! Do you even understand how bad this could affect you? Do you want me to force feed you medicine again? Cause I'll do it!_ ‘“

Mina couldn’t help but giggle at the perfect Jihyo impression that Chaeyoung had just pulled. Usually it was just Momo that could imitate her so well, but it seemed Chaeyoung had practiced a lot.

“Okay, okay. Maybe it was a bit much. It’s just that it’s–“

Chaeyoung put a finger up to shush her. “Yes! I get it! You love me so much that you were scared I’d get sick!” She said jokingly.

“I do love you, Chaeyoung. Why do you say it like as if you think I don’t?” Mina groaned.

“W-wait, you do?” Chaeyoung gasped. 

“Of course, Chaeng.” Mina smiled, feeling good about this date so far. She did love the girl, she realized. Chaeyoung wasn’t as intimidating as she had thought at all. Maybe hanging out with her was the best idea she’d had in a while.

Chaeyoung looked at Mina, wondering if she should push it. Did Mina really love her?

“When does the movie start?” Mina said, already having moved on. It hurt Chaeyoung a little but she shrugged it off, thinking that maybe it was for the best. Having a discussion like this in the middle of a public theater wasn’t such a great idea. 

“Uhhhh. Looks like it starts in…” Chaeyoung checked the tickets she had bought beforehand. “Wait, oh no!”

Mina raised her eyebrows, curious as to what the problem was.

“M-Mina… I bought these in the morning… I totally forgot to tell you!” Chaeyoung looked so devastated that Mina couldn’t help but grab her hand and give it a gentle squeeze. “I was going to–to invite you to watch this movie in the morning, but then Producer Park Jinyoung wanted to have a meeting! It was so unexpected that I didn’t have time to cancel the tickets!”

“So are these tickets expired?” Mina took them from the other girl and checked them. Yep, they were unusable now. They were for an 11:30 am showing, and it was currently 2:03 pm. 

Chaeyoung hung her head in shame. “This sucks.”

Mina pushed Chaeyoung and said “Why are you acting like it’s the end of the world? Let’s just buy new tickets!”

It was like she had completely forgotten that it was possible to get new tickets because Chaeyoung’s eyes grew five times wider when Mina reminded her. She nodded and scurried over to the ticket counter and asked for tickets for the next screening.

_ She’s cute ,  _ Mina thought to herself. _I can’t believe I forgot that._

The person at the ticket counter told Chaeyoung something that she clearly didn’t like. She bowed in thanks and came back to Mina empty handed. Mina greeted her with a questioning look.

“The next screening is at 3:00 pm,” Chaeyoung said, her voice tired. “Someone projectile vomited all over the first few seats in one of the theater rooms, so they had to accommodate all of the ticket holders into one room that was also screening the movie just so they wouldn’t demand a refund. They think they’ll be done cleaning by three, but...that’s a long wait.”

Mina thought about it. An hour sure was a long wait, but there wasn’t any real problem with sitting around for a while and just talking. She’d found out through her date with Tzuyu that time flies when you’re enjoying the company of a friend.  


“Chaeng, it’s ok. There’s a little café somewhere in here that’s built into the theater. Let’s go there and talk for a while. Sound good?”

This cheered Chaeyoung up a lot. She grinned and as an answer to her proposal, ran to the ticket counter.  


____

_It’s a cute place_ , Mina thought as she looked around. The café was small, but it was cozy, perfect for people that are just waiting for their movie times to come up.

“Was there anything you wanted to talk about?” Chaeyoung asked, stirring the shake she’d gotten despite Mina’s warning about drinking cold things on cold days. “I mean, I know you like playing games. There’s an arcade right here, so it seemed a bit strange for you to suggest going here instead.”

“Mm. Not really?” Mina was very aware of the arcade on the premises. Her wallet was still crying about it. “It’s just been a while since I’ve really talked to you. To anyone, really. I feel like...maybe I’ve gotten a bit distant.” 

Lies. Though there was nothing she wanted to talk to her about specifically, she wanted to erase any and all negative thoughts about Chaeyoung from her dumb brain. Talking was the quickest way to do that.  


Chaeyoung took a sip and nodded. She’d felt it too, just a bit. That’s why she’d been pretty on board with Sana’s idea of them all taking their time to talk and hang with her. She missed Mina a lot, but had no idea how to coax the girl out of her room, as they didn’t have a whole lot in common. She couldn’t ask Mina to join her to paint, to draw stuff, or to model for her. She worried she’d find it all boring.

“Well. Maybe distant isn’t the right word, but it’s definitely something like that. Nevermind that now, though. I’m glad you’re here now, trying to change that!” Chaeyoung offered Mina a sip of the shake, purposely trying to shove it in her face that she had bought it anyway. Mina narrowed her eyes at her.

“No thanks... But yeah. Tzuyu told me something yesterday that made me take up your offer on coming here.”

Chaeyoung’s expression looked a little mischievous, flaring up the anxiety that had subsided within Mina. What was up with that look? 

“Oh yeah? Huh, what did she tell you?” It sounded like a challenge somehow.

“J-just that you guys loved me a lot and something along the lines of you guys wanting to spend time with me. It made me realize that maybe it was time to stop making you and Tzuyu feel like I’m shutting you out and start hanging out with you.”

Chaeyoung rested both of her elbows on the table and gave her a smile that was calmer, but it still held something mysterious in it. “It’s not just us two. Expect more members to reach out to you.”

Mina hadn't meant it that way, but it did at least tell her that the two babies of the group that felt life out as well. “Do all of you feel like that? Like, all of the members think I’m shutting them out?”

“We all just want more time with you, Minari. Like I said, those are strong words for what we feel. It’s not like shutting us out or distancing yourself. It’s just us feeling like you deserve to have fun outside of your comfort zone.”

“Ah.” Mina was comforted by that. She had started to think that she was an awful person for making the girls feel like that. Now, she understood a little better. “Okay, tell me more. What do you guys have planned? Are all of the members going to take me out? Or just a few? Are you going to do it all in a row, or will I have to wait months for the next girl?”

Chaeyoung zipped her lips, the mischievous smile making a comeback. “I’ve told you all I can. You’re gonna have to figure it out yourself. For now, let’s just enjoy this!”

Mina grumbled a little bit, something about wishing she was more of a spoiler fairy than Nayeon. Nevertheless, she changed the subject, knowing she’d find out sooner or later what the Twice members were planning.

“Okay, so what have you been doing these past few days? We don’t usually get this many days off unless it’s for the Chuseok holiday.” Mina didn’t want them to sit there silently, awkwardly, so she chose a topic that was easy. 

Chaeyoung drank the last of her shake and set the glass to the side. “Not much. Dahyun modeled for me a bit for this personal project I have going on. She’s been the best ever at staying still, so I managed to finish in two days instead of the usual five. What about you?”

Mina was intrigued by this. Despite being intimidated by her, she’d always liked Chaeyoung’s art, even if it had an abstract nature to it. The girl’s mind was just so fascinating.

“Tzuyu took me out yesterday. We went to a dog café and played with a few dogs… But stop. Go back. I wanna hear more about your project.”

Chaeyoung blushed, surprised that Mina cared to learn more. She’d just casually mentioned her project to hide the fact that she was practically dying to ask about her and Tzuyu’s dog café date. It was a nice turn of events to see Mina willing to listen to her ramble about her projects.  


“Really? Uh, well, I’ve been really interested trying out painting and art styles from different movements and periods throughout time… it’s kinda hard but it’s fun to see how different your works can turn out.” The excitement in Chaeyoung’s voice grew with every word she spoke. “I’ve been trying Post-Impressionism lately, and decided to challenge myself by painting a person. Here, look, I took a picture of it once I finished.” Chaeyoung pulled out her phone and showed Mina a few shots of the piece. Mina could definitely see that the subject was Dahyun, with the silly way she was posing and the very light colors Chaeyoung had used for her skin tone. Other than that, though, Mina would not have recognized her.

“That’s definitely Dahyun. She’s a bit distorted, though. Is that the point of Post-Impressionism?”

“It’s not, like, a must, but it was a technique used often. I wanted to see if I could do it well, and I feel like I did pretty good! Using weird and unnatural colors is a characteristic of the movement too, but I didn’t feel like doing that at the time. Do you like it?” Chaeyoung looked at her expectantly.

“I do,” Mina said truthfully. “I like the colors you used here. They’re vibrant and I guess you could say, eye-catching? The distortion is a good touch. It’s still totally Dahyun, but it looks cooler than just painting exactly what’s there. I...hope that made sense.” Mina felt a little foolish trying to praise Chaeyoung’s art. She knew nearly nothing about the movement other than that it was majorly a French movement. What if there was something that Chaeyoung wanted Mina to notice, but couldn’t, because she didn’t understand what Post-Impressionism was about? Oh god, she was freaking out again. Mina faked a chuckle and swallowed the nervousness away. “That did, right? Make sense?”

“Yeah!” Chaeyoung looked a little bashful. It seemed she wanted to tell Mina something, but was too afraid to. 

“What?”

“What?” Chaeyoung repeated, a tiny pout on her lips.

“You wanna say something, right? You make it really obvious, Chaeng! Don’t be scared!” She carefully petted the younger girl’s head. “Go ahead.”

Chaeyoung squirmed a little bit. “Uh… Well, you’ve never really expressed interest in art before, so I’ve always been afraid to- I m-mean... maybe the universe has put us in this situation just so that I can confess to you that I’ve always wanted to spend time creating art with you. Before you say anything, yeah, it sounds weird, but, how can I say this?” She paused a bit to think. “There’s an aura to you that inspires me to draw and paint. Sometimes I have art block and have no idea what to do anymore, and then you pop in my room to ask something and then, boom. It’s like...the art block is gone. I run to my art supplies as soon as you’re out of earshot, pull out a canvas and suddenly my fingers dance on their own. Look! I took photos of those too.”

Chaeyoung scrolled through her phone once more, this time through a different folder. Mina didn’t get to see them well, but they all seemed to share one trait: they were all dark. Reds, purples and blacks flew across the screen as Chaeyoung looked for a specific piece. 

Had Chaeyoung really been inspired by Mina to paint these? They all seemed beautiful. That made Mina feel a bit guilty. Though she had never hated Chaeyoung, a lot of her thoughts about her were negative. Now here Chaeyoung was, confessing to Mina that she had inspired such gorgeous works of art.

When she finally found what she was looking for, she showed Mina. Mina could make out a silhouette of a person shrouded in a dark cloud. It looked cool, if Mina were to be honest, and mysterious. The colors were blended really well, in such a way that the shadows looked almost life like.

“You… Mina, you inspired these. Just by entering my room and smiling at me. I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like if you and I spent some time in an art studio, or even in my own room, and painted together.” Chaeyoung’s jaw clenched before she said the following words: “I know you’re not very interested in art. But please, I want to hang out with you and paint and goof off together. I bet I could make it fun for you. I’d do anything to convince you to come because…”

Because she _loved_ her, Chaeyoung realized. Like, _really, really_ loved her. God, how stupid was Chaeyoung for not realizing it sooner? She’d really tricked herself into thinking this was all just a friendly thing, but there, at that tiny café, Chaeyoung allowed herself to realize what she really felt. 

“...Because I just want to spend time with you, Mina.” Chaeyoung felt like a coward. She said those words, but that’s not what she should have said. But they were in public. Chaeyoung knew they were always being followed, either by fansites or creepy stalkers. Any one of those people could overhear their conversation and leak it to news sites or hold it against them somehow. 

No. Not now. Maybe later.

Mina was in deep thought as Chaeyoung struggled with herself. 

She had had absolutely no inkling at all about how desperate Chaeyoung was to paint with her. She’d never so much as dropped hints about it, at least none that Mina could have picked up on. To hear that was honestly exciting to Mina. But…

“Wait,” Mina said suddenly, spooking Chaeyoung a bit. “What do you mean, ‘I know you’re not very interested in art’? Chaeyoung, I’ve been wanting to paint with you since /forever/!”

Chaeyoung’s face was contorted with confusion. She looked at a loss for words, like as if she couldn’t believe her ears at all.

“Why didn’t you ever tell me? You’re dead serious about this, right? Not joking or messing with me? You’ve seriously wanted to paint with me?”

Mina slammed her head down on the table. Of course she had. She loved Chaeyoung’s art, but, well…irrational fears kept her from approaching the younger girl. “Yeah.” Her voice sounded muffled, so she raised her head again. “I’m not playing.”

“Alright. So I repeat: Why didn’t you tell me before? I would have been _so_ down with sketching and painting with you!”

Mina half pouted, wondering if she should tell Chaeyoung. Was it a good idea to tell such an awful truth while she was hanging out with Chaeyoung like this? 

“Hey, I can see you’re about to not tell me! You made me tell you what I wanted to say!” Chaeyoung fake punched Mina in the arm, making the older girl squeal. “It’s _your_ turn to talk! Out with it!”

“Okay, okay, gosh!” Mina laughted. She supposed that if she had forced Chaeyoung to be honest with her, she had to do the same. It wouldn’t be the whole truth, no, she could tell her that later, in a more  private place. For now, a half-truth is what she would g et. “I guess it would be a little hypocritical if I didn’t do the same.”

Chaeyoung made a _so then talk_ gesture.

“Ah, well, I just…” Mina worried a little. This was for sure going to ruin the nice mood they had before no matter what was going to be said. “Well, I just don’t feel like I’m all that great at art. First of all, I don’t know about any of those artistic eras and whatnot. I barely know what Post-Impressionism means. I also can’t draw for the life of me, and painting requires so much creativity that I feel discouraged every time I want to join you when you do. Imagine how awkward it would be for me to just watch you paint. Like as if you had eyes on your back watching your every move.”

“Okay,” Chaeyoung started, dramatically lifting a finger up, “first of all, Momo does that all the time with me. She just crouches near me for hours on end, holding my palette and watching as I work. It’s not that weird at all.” Mina was about to speak when Chaeyoung held up another finger. 

“ _Second_ of all, you are _super freaking creative_ and that’s final! You knit sweaters, scarves and hats, for God’s sake! How is that not something that requires patience and creativity?”

Chaeyoung fell back into her chair, the dramatic actions she had just made winding her. Mina took the opportunity to jump in.

“Maybe it’s creative, but it’s not cool at all. Who likes watching someone make scarves? Nobody!”

Mina’s eyes widened when she saw the fire in Chaeyoung’s eyes reignite. 

_ Oh, damn, she is  _ passionate  _ about this. _

Chaeyoung narrowed her eyes at Mina as she pulled out her phone for the billionth time that day. She opened Instagram, instantly confusing Mina. What was she about to show her?

Chaeyoung switched accounts, going from her private Instagram account to the group’s public one, Twicetagram. She searched for a bit and found something. She turned the phone so that Mina could see clearly. It was a painting that Chaeyoung had made and posted on the account. Not sure where the younger girl was going with this, Mina glanced in her direction, giving her a perplexed look.

Chaeyoung ignored it and tapped on the comment section of that very post. Mina caught glimpses of _wow! Awesome job Chaeng!_ and _so talented ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ I love you_ accompanied by more comments similar to them. As soon as she was done reading a few comments, Chaeyoung wordlessly got out and scrolled farther down into their account. 

“Aha!” Chaeyoung whispered, and tapped on a picture Mina was very familiar with. It was one of her few selfies, and this one in particular was of herself with the handmade beanie she donated to charity. Chaeyoung tapped on the comments section and let Mina read through.

> _ look at Mina, being a humble person and spending time donating to a worthy cause! _
> 
> _ she did that herself? That’s so awesome _
> 
> _ Minari… you’re so cool. Please do a VLive of yourself making one, who cares if it’s three hours long _

Mina didn’t know when, but at some point she started shaking. She knew what Chaeyoung was trying to show her and boy, was it a lot to take in.

“Mina, you’re both creative and cool. I read a lot of comments on posts that aren’t even mine and on this one, there are _tons_ of people saying that they’re waiting for a Knitting V. And they’re dead serious about it. They wanna watch you knit.”

It seems like the running theme of the past two days was this: Mina had absolutely no idea. She had no idea Tzuyu also worried about her dog, she had no clue about Chaeyoung wanting to paint with her, and she wasn’t aware of how many people supported her love of knitting. It was all so much new information. It took all of her strength to keep herself composed.

“Don’t badmouth yourself anymore. You’re…” Chaeyoung looked around, making sure their manager wasn’t going to hear what she was about to say. “You’re cool as _shit_ , Minari. You’re the best person to paint with, I think.”

Mina saw Chaeyoung stretch her hand out to her, symbolically asking her to accept that she was indeed cool as shit and that she was totally worthy of hanging out with Chaeyoung.

Mina, of course, took her hand.

Chaeyoung pulled her closer and hugged her tight. 

“That was probably overdramatic,” Chaeyoung said, her mouth muffled by Mina’s shoulder, “but I wasn’t going to let you stay thinking that you’re uncreative.”

The Japanese girl pulled away first, sniffling a little. It wasn’t the deepest revelation she’d come across in her life, but the root of this whole problem was one that had kept her from enjoying Chaeyoung’s company, and now that she was more informed, it was one that was now nonexistent. 

“Thank you, Chaengie. Really, thank you a lot.” She couldn’t say any more. She was afraid her voice would crack and attract their manager’s attention. Mina didn’t want her to ruin the moment, so she just remained silent, allowing Chaeyoung to half-hug her with one arm until she was totally composed.

It took a bit, but eventually Mina blinked away the tears and was able to breathe without any hitches. With great timing too, as Mina noticed a few DSLRs pointed straight at her though the windows of the café. She waited until the owner of the theater took notice of the cameras and threatened to call the cops on the fansites for what he thought was them attempting to film the movies that were airing. 

“They’re nice, but a little annoying, huh? Oh, the price of  being famous!” Chaeyoung said, the cute dimple she had on her right cheek peeking out from behind her mask. Mina poked it and nodded. The action made Chaeyoung blush and cry out, extra sensitive and easily embarrassed after her rant.

Mina showed Chaeyoung her gummy smile to make up for it and wow, Chaeyoung could have sworn she was seeing stars. Without thinking, she blurted out, albeit a bit quietly, “Oh my god, I love you.”

She immediately screamed internally and wished for the earth to swallow her whole.

Mina, unaware of Chaeyoung’s mental breakdown, just replied “I love you too,” with another gummy smile.

Chaeyoung heard it loud and clear, and though she had already heard Mina say she loved her before, it felt different this time. The earlier feelings of wanting to disappear faded away, leaving Chaeyoung with a melting heart and a toothy grin on her face.

Mina looked behind Chaeyoung and scowled slightly. “Do you think any of those fansites caught any of our conversation?”

“Hm? Probably not. The masks help to at least hide our lips.”

Mina agreed and checked her phone.

“Oh! Look, Chaengie! It’s 2:55! The previews and commercials are probably already playing. Let’s go to the theater the tickets tell us to go to.” Mina got up and saw Chaeyoung pout a bit.

“And yes, let’s get some popcorn and soda too,” she said, stifling a laugh. Chaeyoung jumped up and let out a hurray.

* * *

 

“I read somewhere that if it was possible to have laser vision, realistically the force of shooting them would throw you back and the force of hitting the ground would probably kill you, or at least, hurt you a lot.”

Mina laughed and punched Chaeyoung on the shoulder. “Yes! But you’re supposed to suspend belief for superhero movies! We all know they’re not real, but it’s nice to get lost in a world where there are people that have powers.” 

The movie they had watched was over and they were walking back to the van, Chaeyoung explaining to Mina why she didn’t like superhero movies. It seemed a little silly to Mina, how Chaeyoung couldn’t see the whole picture. Still. It was nice to know that Chaeyoung had made an effort to spend time with her. It had helped a lot, since now Mina was sure that the younger girl was nothing like the character that she had built around her. 

“I guess I just have to watch some more then. Would you like to recommend some to me? If I watch enough, maybe I’ll understand the appeal.”

“Of course! I have a whole DVD collection just waiting to be opened again!” Mina paused and added a thought. “We can watch together, you know. I can fill you in on some details and just...spend some more time with you. Something I need to do with everyone, if I were to be frank.”

“Let’s do that. But later. For now, I think the rest of the Twice members are setting things up, each planning something special for you.”

Mina just nodded, smiling to herself. She was really, really liking whatever her friends were planning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave a comment and kudos! Also, I'm @jidubchaeng on Twitter c:


	4. Roommates (Extra)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mina's heart is so, so full of love.  
> (Nayeon, Sana, Jihyo, Mina)

[4 AM]

Mina’s head popped up.

It was the third time she checked the clock, and it probably wouldn’t be the last if this feeling continued.

She wasn’t miserable. The opposite, actually. She was full of love. So, so full of love. These past two days had done wonders to her self esteem. Tzuyu and Chaeyoung had been nothing but the sweetest girls ever, each helping her get rid of an anxiety that had haunted her over time.

Mina still worried about Ray, but not as much anymore. If Tzuyu, who was able to visit her home country of Taiwan even less than Mina visited Japan, was able to compose herself and keep her head straight when it came to her dog, then Mina could too. Both girls Skyped their respective dogs often, even during promotions, so their dogs would have an even harder time forgetting them. This calmed Mina the most. She might not be there physically, but her image on the screen seemed to be enough for Ray. After all, every time she came home, Ray still waddled his way over to her and nudged her affectionately. He still loved her as much as he used to.

Admittedly, she had come to fear the Japanese promotions because of this reason. Each trip to Japan meant the possibility of visiting her home, and each possibility of visiting her home meant there was a chance to have her heart broken by an important friend that did not recognize her. Now this fear was gone, and Mina looked forward to going to Japan. Her furry friend would be waiting for her. She knew this now.

She also learned that she had more in common with Tzuyu than she thought, much more than just loving dogs. Tzuyu was also quiet and observant, but not boring, not ever. They could enjoy each other’s silence comfortably and talk without feeling any pressure to do so. Being with Tzuyu was almost like... being with her other half.

With Chaeyoung, Mina had learned that she was appreciated for what she could do, even if it was just knitting. The comments on her knitted beanie post still rolled in even though it had been more than a year since she posted it. That told her that people loved coming back to it to admire her work.

To add to that, her burning fear of her teammate was completely extinguished. She now only saw Chaeyoung as she was, a kind and creative younger friend that wanted to spend more time with her.

Mina put her head down again, smiling to herself. All she could think about was all of the things she had learned and would learning about herself with the rest of the members. She wondered what each girl had in store for her, like where they would take her, and, secretly, she also wondered how long it would take them to crack her open. Tzuyu and Chaeyoung had managed to find an insecurity within Mina and demolish it completely before her very eyes, and she had no doubt that the rest of the six girls would do the same just as quickly.

For once in her life, Mina was absolutely okay with exposing her fears. If opening up to other people and letting them help her ease them away felt this good then she wished she had done it since the beginning.

After fantasizing about the future for a bit, Mina lifted her head again and checked the time. Only _five minutes_ had passed!

She turned in bed and found herself face to face with a sleeping Sana. There wasn’t much light in the room, but Mina’s night vision had always been pretty good, so she could study her features pretty easily.

She looked so peaceful and comfy, with her mouth hanging slightly open and her deep breaths. She looked cute, Mina thought, not for the first time since they’ve shared a room. Sana’s face was always full of expressions ranging from extremely excited to full of distress, so seeing it like this, so serene and relaxed… Mina’s love-filled heart only swelled more.

She rolled over carefully, trying not to wake Sana, until she was extremely close to the girl. Somehow, without waking up, Sana noticed this change and wrapped her arms around Mina, pulling her close. Mina struggled to hold her giggles, because this whole thing was cute and so was Sana.

After waiting for a minute to make sure Sana was sound asleep, Mina moved some hair away from her forehead and gently placed a kiss there. She felt like maybe if she did that, the love she felt in her heart would be transferred through the kiss into Sana’s thoughts, letting the sleeping girl know how much Mina appreciated her. It was cheesy, but Mina didn’t care much at that moment.

A smile graced Sana’s sleeping features, one that made Mina’s heart flutter. She didn’t know how Sana had felt that, considering she was a bit of a heavy sleeper.

_Maybe, just maybe, the kiss did it’s intended job._

Mina carefully removed Sana’s arms and positioned herself back into her spot on the bed. She thought that kissing Sana’s forehead would be enough, but clearly, it was not, because her heart still fluttered with affection.

That’s when she heard a shuffle on the other side of the room. It was Nayeon, tossing herself into a better position. Jihyo grumbled a bit but went back to sleep almost immediately.

Mina then knew what to do.

She tiptoed her way over to Nayeon and Jihyo’s bed, careful not to trip on the shoes Nayeon had haphazardly thrown off that night.

She stood before Nayeon’s side of the bed, the left side, unsure if she should remove the covers from the older girl’s face. After fighting herself a bit, she carefully threw off the covers, making sure it wasn’t _too_ sudden. She didn’t want to wake Nayeon. All she wanted was to do was kiss her.

Mina was met with the _absolutely gorgeous_ sight of Nayeon’s sleeping position. She had her arms and legs splayed all over the place, leaving practically no room for Jihyo at all. Mina allowed herself to laugh a little, wondering how Jihyo ever managed to get a night of peaceful sleep if Nayeon always slept like this.

Shaking her head, she leaned over and placed a soft kiss on the spot above the girl’s eyebrow. Just like Sana, a ghost of a smile appeared on Nayeon’s face. Mina watched as Nayeon slowly curled into a ball almost immediately after the kiss and cuddled closer to her stuffed animals.

Jihyo probably sensed the bed shifting and moved herself so that she wasn’t hanging precariously over the edge of the bed anymore.

Satisfied and sure that both girls were totally asleep, Mina pulled the covers up to Nayeon’s nose and tucked her in. Really, though Nayeon was the oldest in their group, none of the girls could resist babying her. There was just something about her that made one want to do it.

The tenderness in Mina pushed her to kiss Nayeon once more, and so she did, this time above the other eyebrow.

Sighing, Mina tiptoed again, this time to the right side of the bed, Jihyo’s side. The leader was now a lot closer to the center of the bed, so Mina carefully climbed on, careful to not make it dip too much. Only five seconds before, she planned on kissing Jihyo and going back to sleep on her own bed, but upon lifting the covers away from Jihyo's face, she felt the need to cuddle Jihyo a bit. She had always liked sleeping next to Jihyo, since the older girl oozed warmth and love, and right then, that was exactly what Mina needed.

When she finally settled, she reached for Jihyo’s fisted hand and gave it a small squeeze. Leaning over, Mina pressed her lips to Jihyo’s cheek.

Jihyo’s eyes fluttered open instantly, allowing Mina to look into them in the darkness of the room. Were Jihyo’s eyes always this large and beautiful? Or did it take this long for Mina to finally appreciate them? She wasn’t sure, but the sight gave Mina the urge to kiss Jihyo’s cheek again.

Jihyo giggled quietly as she let Mina kiss her again. “Mina, what are you doing?” she asked once she had suppressed the giggles.

Mina blushed and settled closer to Jihyo now that she was awake. “I just wanted to kiss you. I kissed Nayeon and Sana, too. I don’t know why. I’m just… I just love you guys so much. That’s all.”

“You never do that,” Jihyo observed after a small pause.

“Y-yeah, I know,” she muttered. “Things have been changing lately. I’m understanding more things, and I’m opening up in a way that I never thought I would. It's making me realize just _how_ much I love you guys.”

To that, Jihyo just grinned, and despite having just woken up, the grin carried so much energy that Mina felt it fill her up. She was now wide awake, staring lovingly into Jihyo’s eyes.

Her grin slowly disappeared, and Jihyo turned so that her back was facing Mina. She took this as a sign to leave her to sleep again, so Mina was about to get up, finished with what she had come there for, when Jihyo reached back and held Mina’s wrist.

“No, no. I was just getting comfortable... Please stay. Can we cuddle like we used to?” Mina was surprised at Jihyo’s tone when she asked if they could cuddle. The leader’s voice was honey sweet and very desperate. How could Mina say no to such a cute plea?

Mina nodded and settled back in, her front pressed onto Jihyo’s back. She wrapped her arms around her waist and buried her face into her neck.

"I wanted to cuddle anyway. Thank you for letting me," Mina whispered.

Jihyo made a small noise and relaxed under her touch.

"Let's go back to sleep, okay, Mina? It's 4 am and the last few hours of sleep are the most important."

Mina nodded against Jihyo's hair, not sure how she’d be able to do so after getting blasted by Jihyo’s sunshine ray.

“Goodnight, Mina,” Jihyo whispered, pulling Mina impossibly closer. “We love you.” A pause. “I love you.”

Mina smiled into Jihyo’s neck and reveled in the moment for a bit. Before she could reply back, Jihyo was already snoring gently. It made Mina a little sad that she couldn’t tell her that she loved her and their friends just as much, but the sadness didn’t last for very long at all. How could she, when she was practically exploding from all the affection in her body?

Mina closed her eyes, doing her best to sleep. They didn’t have any scheduled events, not for a while now, but Mina knew that in a few hours, another one of her treasured friends was going to take her somewhere and get to know her better.

This thought seemed to flip a switch in Mina’s brain because as soon as the thought ended, Mina’s eyelids felt heavy and her grip on Jihyo’s waist loosened. Before she knew it, she was fast asleep.

* * *

 It was 10 am when Jeongyeon carefully opened the door to their room.

Mina was a light sleeper, she always had been, so she woke up first.

The first thing she felt after waking was _sweaty_. Why? Why was it so hot?

Jeongyeon smiled at her and simply said that they had slept enough, and that she had made a few pancakes.

Surely they were burnt, but Mina was thankful for the girl’s effort.

When Jeongyeon left, she raised her head and was met with a heartwarming sight.

Somehow, within the span of six hours, Sana had managed to sneak her way between Mina and Jihyo and was now fast asleep with her face buried in Mina’s chest. Nayeon and Jihyo were in a similar position, with Jihyo settled in Nayeon’s arms. All four of them were pressed together, filling Jihyo and Nayeon’s bed to the brim.

Mina looked down at Sana, who was groaning and making faces as she tried to wake herself up.

“G’morning,” Jihyo croaked out, her voice thick with sleep.

“Morning, Jihyo.” Mina winked at her as best as she could when the girl pulled herself away from Nayeon.

Nayeon whined and pulled Jihyo closer.

“Nayeon, let go, I’m suffocating!”

The oldest girl grunted in reply but let Jihyo go.

“Good morning to you too, Nayeon,” Mina smiled, watching as she stretched her limbs and purposely hit Jihyo with her forearm. Jihyo whined and Nayeon tried to apologize to her with kisses.

“No, no—morning breath! No, Nayeon!”

Sana laughed onto Mina’s skin and finally opened her eyes, blinking away the sleep. She looked up at Mina and gave her the cutest smile.

“Morning, Minari. How are you feeling?”

How was she feeling? She was feeling… so incredibly loved, she was feeling loving towards her friends, she felt happy, she felt excited for what the day would hold… she could go on.

“I’m feeling great,” Mina replied, settling with a word that encompassed all of that as much as possible. “What about you, Satang?”

“Me too. I feel amazing,” she said, tickling Mina’s collarbones with her breath. "Especially with all four of us like this."

"Me too," Jihyo and Nayeon said in unison.

"Jinx! Too bad it was sweaty, otherwise it would have been perfect," Nayeon said as she tried to kiss Jihyo again.

“You can't even imagine what it was like for me," Jihyo complained and swatted Nayeon away, "I was in the middle!"

"Hey, hey, Jeongyeon made pancakes for us,” Mina announced before they started wrestling again. She pulled Sana off of her and got up to put on some pants.

“They’re probably going to be burnt,” Nayeon said with an eye roll as she smacked Jihyo.

“Probably, but you know that all of us are going to find them delicious anyway and beg for more,” Jihyo replied as she smacked Nayeon back.

Nayeon chuckled and nodded, rubbing her arm. “Yeah. I know we will.”

As Mina searched for a shirt to wear to the dining area of their dorm, Sana appeared beside her with a smile on her face. She rested her chin on Mina's shoulder and watched as she searched her closet. After about a minute of silence, Sana spoke up.

“You look happy,” she noted.

“I am. I don’t know what’s happening or what started this whole thing, but I’m starting to think that maybe I should have opened up long ago. The weight on my shoulders is shrinking and it’s...the best feeling ever.”

Something flashed in Sana’s eyes. Before Mina could try to guess what it was, Sana leaned over and kissed her forehead.

“I’m glad to hear that Mina. You really have no idea.”

She left her side as soon as she said that, hopping over to the kitchen to get some pancakes before Dahyun ate them all.

Mina stood there, suspicion crossing her mind, feeling like she knew which friend had been the catalyst of all of what was happening.

Ultimately, she shrugged it off. Maybe she’d have to thank her later. For now, Mina got dressed and joined her friends in the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was just a short lil chapter I wrote because I didn't have much time to write a longer one for Mina's secret next date! Hope this is good enough uwu


	5. MiMo- Restaurant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter kinda deals with a sensitive topic- not eating in fear of 'losing shape'- so I recommend you use caution if you choose to proceed.

“Dahyun!”

“ _Dahyun!!_ ” A groan.

“ _Of course_ it was Dahyun.” Even more groans, followed by all of the girls laughing.

Dahyun put her head down sheepishly, covering her cheeks to stop the redness in her face from showing. “Sorry…”

“Please tell me you didn’t _actually_ eat all of the pancakes! They were meant for Mina!” Nayeon laughed, not really mad at the younger girl, just enjoying making her blush. “She was getting dressed, Dahyun, you soulless monster!”

“I said sorry! Jeez, what more do you want from me!”

“I say you make her more,” Momo said, holding Mina as if to comfort her. “Just to make up for it.”

“No no no, if Dahyun made her pancakes, Mina would die of food poisoning,” Jeongyeon said. That earned her an offended _hey!_ from Dahyun, but she ignored it. “You know what I think? Dahyun should take Mina out on a date! How about that!”

Everyone quieted down. Momo noticed everyone giving her dirty looks, as if to say _Dude! Don’t make it too obvious!_ Jeongyeon sat down and mumbled apologies.

“Guys, really, it’s ok,” Mina interjected, noticing how some of the members looked like they were going to beat Jeongyeon up. She wondered if not all of them knew that Mina understood what was going on. Probably not, given how Jeongyeon was blushing at her mistake.

“But Mina, how is that okay? You haven’t eaten yet,” Momo pouted and hugged Mina tighter. “You just woke up and breakfast is the most important meal of the day…”

“Dahyun is a growing girl. She needs to eat much more if she wants to be taller than Tzuyu!” Mina ruffled both Momo and Dahyun’s hair in an attempt to appease them.

Dahyun scowled playfully, trying to hide the blush that was spreading more and more by the second. She didn’t push away Mina’s hand though, instead leaning into the touch. “I’m not a baby, Minaaa,” she whined, “I was just hungry and couldn’t control myself…”

“Sounds like something a baby would do,” Jihyo said nonchalantly.

Mina watched as Dahyun cried out and tried to stop the group from embarrassing her any more than they already had.

Momo looked away from the commotion for a second to look at Mina’s eyes and mentally sent her a message. _Are you sure you’re okay?_

Mina nodded and leaned her head against the older Japanese girl’s shoulder. As quietly as possible, she whispered “Don’t worry. I’ll eat later. I wasn’t hungry anyway.”

This seemed to comfort Momo, at least for the time being. She leaned in as well, both girls enjoying each other’s presence as the rest of the girls before them started cleaning up the table.

Jihyo finished her task of putting the dishes in the sink and squatted close to Mina’s chair.

“Sorry about that, Mina. If I had known Dahyun was going to eat six instead of three pancakes, I would have stopped her.”

Mina smiled at her and shook her head. “It’s ok, Jihyo. I told Momo just now that I’ll eat later. I didn’t wake up so hungry.”

“Okay, good. There are leftovers from yesterday that you can reheat. It's all in the refrigerator. Momo, Jeongyeon and I ordered takeout and ate on V Live for Once to eat with us.”

“It was great, wasn’t it?” Momo asked Jihyo, her sleepy smile making an appearance.

“The best. Maybe you can join us next time, Mina! A lot of Once asked for you.”

“I- uh, yeah, I'd like that. Let’s do it soon.” Mina raised her fist to show excitement, and Jihyo held it, shaking it to show she was glad Mina accepted her offer.

“Hey, Mitang,” Momo said once Jihyo left, Tzuyu needing her for an emergency of some sorts. “Do you know what you’re, uh, gonna do today?”

Maybe this was her way of asking if she was aware of who’s turn it was that day, without making anything too obvious. Mina shook her head. “I don’t. I’ll keep my day open just in case something comes up, you know?”

Momo nodded, sneaking a glance at the maknae’s room. “I do.”

* * *

 Momo peeked inside Mina’s bedroom, then checked her phone. It was 2 pm. Four hours ago, Mina had told her she’d eat later, and yet, Momo had not seen her exit her room yet. She was still there, lying down on her bed as she played some video game on her laptop.

She carefully closed the door and made her way to her own room, shutting the door with a little too much force and throwing herself onto the bed she shared with Jeongyeon, who was out for the day trying to scout for some good places to take Mina to, when it was her turn.

Momo was glad for it. Something was eating at her, and she needed to think about this alone.

Why? Why wasn’t she eating? She had told her she’d eat later, and too much time had passed now for Momo to remain quiet about it. She knew that the last thing Mina ate was the soda, popcorn and candy Chaeyoung bought her at the movie theater. Momo did the math and that was, like, twenty hours ago! That wasn’t healthy at all and it was making her worry about Mina to the point where she felt a little sick.

But what could she do? Pressuring Mina into eating wasn’t going to solve anything. If she stood behind her and forced her to eat, Mina would hate and resent her for it. It’s not what Momo wanted at all. She just cared for her friend.

Suddenly, an idea popped up in her head. It wasn’t an elaborate one, but maybe it would help Mina eat something, anything, but only if she wanted to. It would be difficult to pull off though, solely because it meant changing up everyone’s plans.

Momo was very, very aware that it would cause some upset, but surely, eventually the rest of the girls would understand. It was all for Mina, after all. Wasn’t everything that had happened these past few days and everything that would happen soon all for her? Momo’s plan was for Mina’s benefit.

Decided, she jumped off her bed and practically ran to the School Meal Club’s room.

“Hey!” Momo shouted as she threw the door open, making Chaeyoung’s brush go the wrong direction.

“Hey! Momo! You- you messed me up!” Chaeyoung tried her best to fix the mistake, but found that the stroke she had made actually accentuated the piece. “N-Nevermind… what do you want?”

“Sorry, I just– I need to talk to Dahyun.”

“M-me?” Dahyun looked terrified. She had been reading a book when Momo burst in, so she was still in a state of confusion. “Why me? Are you– are you still mad I ate Mina’s pancakes? Because I apologized and she even said—“

“No, no, I’m not here for that. Mina accepted your apologizes and I get that. I’m here to ask you for a big favor.” Momo bit her lip, wondering if Dahyun would accept her request.

“Uh, okay? Depends on what it is. Did you break something again? Do you need me to hide it from Jeongyeon again? Because last time I did that–“

“No, it’s not that,” Momo interrupted her for a second time. “By the way, thanks for that. Anyways, I need you to switch date days with me.”

“Date days? What?” Dahyun looked at Chaeyoung, who just looked at her back with the same amount of confusion. “Excuse me?”

Momo was getting impatient, but she understood why Dahyun would be confused.

“Look, I need you to switch your date with Mina to some other day. I need her today. Please, Dahyun.”

* * *

 Mina was starting to get frustrated with the game on her laptop. She thought it would be easier to play on this platform, but apparently, she thought wrong. Using the controller was clearly the best option. Just as she exited the game with plans to switch back to the PlayStation, Momo crept into the room.

“Oh. Hi Momoring!” Mina smiled at her, already sure she knew why Momo had entered her room.

“Hi Mitang. You ready?” She grinned when she saw Mina’s smile grow even wider.

“So you’re my next date, huh? I’m excited! Hold on, I’ll get dressed!” Mina threw off her laptop and stumbled her way to her closet, making Momo catch her to keep her from tripping and falling.

“Whoa, Mitang, are you okay?”

Mina giggled and got dressed in front of Momo. (They had stopped being embarrassed about doing so a long time ago.) “I’m fine. Just got a bit lightheaded. I got up way too quickly, but I’m just super excited to see what you and I are going to be doing!”

“Hmm.” Momo didn't like that at all, Mina being lightheaded. It must’ve been because of the lack of nutrition. Actually, she was almost positive that’s exactly what it was. “Be careful, Mina…”

Mina softened at Momo’s anxious expression. “Momoring, I’m ok. I told you, I just got up too quickly. Anyways, where are you taking me?” She hoped the subject change would keep Momo from pressing it, because she was starting to get nervous.

“It’s a surprise,” Momo said, worry still thick in her voice. She didn’t look happy at all and it hurt Mina to know that she was the cause of that.

“Okay! I like surprises,” she giggled and went back to changing.

Momo found the giggles a bit soothing, She sat down on the bed and swung her feet as she waited for Mina to finish changing.

“By the way, the van downstairs is ready for us! Let’s not take too long.”

Mina nodded and Momo barely managed to hear Mina whisper “Of course the van is ready. It always is” to herself.

* * *

 It took a while to get there, so Momo and Mina took a nap in the back seat as they waited.

“Girls, we’re getting close. Start putting on your jackets and masks so we can drop you off on the sidewalk,” their manager called out, disturbing Mina’s sleep.

“Hmm? What?” She rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

“Get ready. In a few minutes we’ll be arriving and we’re going to drop you off,” she repeated, referring to herself and their other manager at the wheel.

“Huh? You’re not coming with us?” Mina sat up straight and shook Momo awake.

“Not this time. Special request. But I’m going to ask you to be on your best behavior and to not leave the place. Call me as soon as you’re done. We’ll be very close, so you won’t have to wait too long for us to pick you up.”

Momo lifted her head from her shoulder, looking a bit lost for a few seconds. Then she gave Mina a sleepy grin.

“You hear that, Momo? It’s just gonna be the two of us!” Her voice sounded excited, but in reality, Mina was having mixed feelings about being completely alone with Momo.

“Yeah! I asked for that! I want to spend some alone time with you!”

“Oh.” She realized she would make Momo upset if she didn't look happy about it, so she corrected herself immediately. “Oh! Good! Cool idea!” Nervous, she turned to the manager she had been talking to. “We’ll be extra good, we promise! I’ll keep Momo under control.”

Their manager grinned and rolled her eyes. “It’s not just Momo I’m worried about.”

Momo laughed and nudged Mina playfully. “I’ll keep her in check too.”

“Good. Take care of each other. It’s a public place and you can’t really make reservations or ask them to make any area private, so you have to keep it low-profile, okay? Oh, look, here it is.”

Mina peeked out the window and her heart dropped. It was a restaurant.

“A restaurant?” Mina looked back at Momo.

“Yup! I hope it’s ok.”

The van slowed down.

“It’s...fine, but…” Mina trailed off, not really wanting to get into it. “No, it’s fine. Let’s get off now, Momoring.”

Their manager opened the door for them and Mina jumped off, her nerves on edge.

Their managers reminded them once more about how to act when they were alone and to call them when they were done, then both girls nodded and said their goodbyes, turning to face the small restaurant in front of them. Mina had never been to this part of the district, so her heart pumped a little faster as she heard the van leave them.

“Hey Mina,” Momo rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. “I’m sorry about this. I know that a restaurant is boring compared to the other places you’ve gone to. It’s nothing compared to a dog café or a cool movie, but hopefully it’s, you know, still...good enough.”

Mina bit her lip. She really shouldn’t have been surprised that Momo had taken her to a restaurant. It’s what they used to do. That’s where Momo, Sana and Mina used to go together when they were trainees. They tried out all the restaurants they could find, even the ones that sounded gross, and made it a tradition. Go to a new place, try something new, and move on to another one the next time. Of course Momo would remember that and take her to another one. On any other month, she wouldn’t mind it at all, but…

“It’s perfectly fine, Momo. Just like old times, right?” She interrupted her own thoughts to ease Momo’s worry. That’s all that mattered now. “What’s this place make? Hopefully nothing too weird. I’m not sure if today’s a day for new things.”

“No, no, I decided to keep it safe this time! I want us to enjoy this day together, so I just found a restaurant that sells delicious traditional Korean food. All kinds!”

“Thank you for thinking that through. My stomach is kinda queasy right now. One more question though: why so far away from where we live? This looks like a whole different area of Korea.”

“Dunno. Just wanted to explore a new place, I guess. Plus, this place gave me good vibes in the pictures. Nothing better than a small family owned business, right? They always give off a homey feel.”

Mina supposed. If Momo wanted to spend a day with her without a manager’s watchful eye, a small non-crowded place far from the urban streets of Seoul was probably the safest option.

“They do. Those were my favorites back then.” Mina allowed herself to be pulled into the establishment by an excited Momo.

“Hello, girls,” an elderly woman greeted them at the entrance.

“Hello! We are Momo and Mina from Twice! Please take care of us!” Momo bowed deeply and Mina followed suit.

The woman clapped her hands excitedly. “Twice? Oh, I know you girls! My granddaughter...she loves you! Oh, how jealous she’ll be when she finds out she left to do errands exactly when her idols came!”

“Actually, if it’s alright with you, could you not tell anyone we were here and get a table that’s as private as possible?” Mina repeated what she had practiced in her head. “We’re trying to have some time alone, you know, away from the cameras and prying eyes.”

“Oh, of course, but could I please tell my granddaughter? She’s only thirteen. She can keep a secret!”

“I suppose it’s fine,” Momo said, grinning at Mina. “As long as it’s after we leave. Do you think that’s okay?”

The woman grasped Momo’s hand and shook it. “Of course, of course! Anything for my sweet Pilsook's idols!” The woman seemed to remember something. “Ah, look at me being unprofessional! Let’s get you to a private table! Just you two, right?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Momo answered for them. “The other girls won’t be joining us.”

The woman smiled and nodded, leading them to the table farthest to the back. Momo looked back at Mina and whispered _And the managers said they wouldn't make tables private..._

“Listen,” the older woman said as she sat them down, “to thank you for cheering up Pilsook during her exams with your music, I’d like to throw in anything extra you would like for free! If you get noodles, I’ll grab an extra heap, and if you get anything with rice, I’ll get you an extra bowl!”

“Whoa! Really?” Momo turned to Mina excitedly. “That’s cool! Thank you very much! We’d appreciate that!”

Mina bit the inside of her cheek to the point of almost drawing blood.

“Here are your menus. Take your time to choose what you’d like, I’ll just check on the other customers meanwhile.”

“Okay, thank you!”

Finally alone, Momo scooted closer to Mina in the booth they shared and poked her cheek. “You know what you want?”

“Hmm. No.” Mina looked through the menu twice, nothing at all catching her eye. Her stomach growled fiercely, begging to be fed, but Mina willed it to be quiet. Momo didn’t seem to hear it. Thank god.

“Look! They have japchae! I’ll get that!” The older Japanese announced, looking to Mina to see if she’d chosen yet.

Mina knew she was taking too long to choose. She was usually the first to order, and knew that Momo would start suspecting something if she didn’t hurry. The problem was, everything was too large. She wanted something tiny that she could eat with no problem, to at least keep Momo’s concerns at bay.

“Hey.”

Mina looked up, Momo's tone strange, to find that she was shooting her worried looks. “Everything okay? Do you need help choosing?”

Mina put down the menu and crossed her arms, getting increasingly uncomfortable. “I don’t know.”

“Mitang? Talk to me, you look weird…”

“I guess I’m not hungry enough to be eating at this restaurant.” Her stomach made a sound at that exact moment, betraying her every effort to hide the fact that she was starving.

Momo’s face dropped. There was a silence between them thicker than any udon noodles could ever be.

“Mitang..?”

Mina had to think fast. A half truth would be good right about now.

“I’m not sure what to get! This is such...a large menu.” She held it up to prove her point, very aware that she had just said she wasn't hungry at all a second ago. Her lies were going to stack up fast at this rate.

“We can share, if you’d like!" Either Momo didn't take note, or she ignored Mina's earlier lie. "The menu has a picture of the japchae and it looks huge, so it’s good enough for us both!”

Mina practically jumped at the opportunity. “Yes! Yes! I like that idea! Let’s share!”

Momo didn’t miss the relief in Mina’s eyes. She decided to keep it to herself, though.

Before anything else could be said, the elderly lady came back with two sets of metal chopsticks and clapped her hands. “Did you guys decide on what you want?”

“Yes! We’re going to share a bowl of japchae!”

“Oh, okay!” The lady wrote something on a notepad. “Celebrating something? It’s also a big plate, so it’s a good idea to share it between yourselves.”

“We’re not really celebrating anything. Maybe our friendship?” Momo looked at her friend with a small smile.

Mina had to look away. She was starting to feel extreme guilt over this tiny little thing.

_But if it’s so tiny, why are you hiding it from her?_

Mina ignored the question her conscience asked her and focused back on the lady before her, who was telling Momo that she was glad idols like themselves were feeding themselves well.

“Thank you. Everyone in Twice eats very well!”

“Then you’re very good role models for Pilsook! Now! Let’s get you that japchae! I won’t be long!”

Not wasting any time, Momo grabbed Mina’s hand, prompting the younger girl to look at her.

“I was going to stay silent about this for a little while longer, but the woman's words changed my mind." She paused, unsure of how to say what she was thinking. "I can see your skin crawl, Mitang. It’s time we talk about it.”

Mina withdrew her hand and cradled it, unsure about what her friend was talking about. Momo had been smiling not too long ago, so her shift in mood was disorienting. “Talk? About what?”

“Mina. I’m not going to force you to talk about it, because this is supposed to be a good day for us, a day where we can just enjoy each other’s presence. But at least stop pretending like I’m an idiot, because you know that I hate that. I know what’s going on.”

“You’re not– I don’t think you’re—“ Mina shook her head, Momo’s words finally sinking in. “What makes you think I think you’re an idiot?”

“Well, you act like as if there’s no way I would notice that you’re purposefully avoiding eating.”

Mina’s blood turned cold, not suddenly, but slowly, like her body was being submerged in ice bit by bit. She didn’t think Momo was an idiot at all, but she really did think that Momo wouldn’t notice.

“Momo...Momoring…” It was Mina’s turn to reach for the other girl’s hands.

“I did the math, Mina.” Momo clenched her fists and teeth. “I asked Chaeyoung if you ate anything at the movie theater, and when she said you did, I counted the hours, starting as soon as you left the theaters. From nighttime to right now, it's been twenty-two hours. Do you know how worried that makes me? You skipped breakfast, didn’t eat when noon came, and just now you probably planned on pushing your side of the plate around until I ate all of your food. Am I right? Did I guess right?”

Mina looked down. There was no point in avoiding it anymore.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Mina swallowed the fear that was crawling up her throat.

"Then talk to me, but only if you want. Like I said, I'm not forcing you to say anything. I'll listen to whatever you say."

It took a minute, but Mina eventually saw that avoiding the subject for any longer would only increase the tension. She was uncomfortable enough as it was, and she had learned from her friends that talking about her problems usually ended up relieving her of any worries. She wanted to enjoy her day with Momo. So if the girl was telling her that she was willing to listen to her, then maybe it was a chance to relieve herself of her worries.

“Okay. Listen. I’m terrified of losing shape. We’re close to a comeback and- and I’ve been eating so much. With Tzuyu, I bought tons of cookies and ate most of them. I didn’t really let Tzuyu grab a whole lot. And I know that it seems ridiculous, that you're probably thinking ' _But Mina, that's just one day_.' Well, it’s not. Chaeyoung probably didn’t mention the fact that we ate two separate tubs of popcorn, or that I made her buy me two candies. The only thing we shared was the soda, which I probably finished by myself anyway. I didn't really think too much about all of what I had eaten until breakfast, when Dahyun ate my pancakes. I thought to myself, _'Hey, this is good. You've been eating a little too much lately...'_ I saw it as a sign."

"A sign of what?"

"To...s-stop...eating." Mina winced. It hurt to say it out loud. "Sounds stupid, I know. Who's mind would automatically go there? And now, I feel like an idiot. I should have told someone about it, because I know you guys have been through this before, and I know you guys would have given me good suggestions on how to control those thoughts, and..."

Momo pulled her closer and placed her head on her shoulder, holding Mina until she found the words she was looking for. Mina let out a frustrated sigh and buried her head in the older's shoulder.

"I didn't think this through. I know that. No one loses shape from only two days, I think. But my mind went there, and stayed there, until I convinced myself that I'd look bad by the time we made our comeback." Mina's shoulders drooped, and finally, she felt lighter. "Maybe that made absolutely no sense to you, but, uh, there you go. That was my train of thought for almost a whole day. Sorry for worrying you, Momoring. And I'm sorry for making you think that I thought of you as an idiot. I could never."

"It's okay. You're not an idiot, either, for thinking any of that stuff. We think about these things all the time, as idols, even if it doesn't make sense to others. It's all the pressure to look perfect, right?"

Mina played with the hem of Momo's sweater. "Yeah... Netizens drive me insane sometimes."

Momo gently played with Mina's hair as she waited to make sure Mina was finished. When the younger girl said nothing more, she thought about her next words carefully. “I knew I had to do something as soon as I noticed what you were doing. But I was scared of making things worse, you know? If I forced you to eat without you wanting to, you’d get sick. That always happens when you eat something you didn’t want, or didn’t like. So I did the first thing I could think of. I invited you here to see if maybe being with me would make you open up and talk about it. I knew it had only been going on for less than a day, but a lot can happen in your head within that time span. I didn't want your thoughts to become more toxic than they already had.”

Mina closed her eyes and breathed Momo’s scent, feeling relaxed for the first time in what felt like forever. "You were right. I was on my way to making bad decisions. Thanks to you, now I'm just here, wondering why I didn't let you talk some sense into me earlier." Mina felt a smile creep onto her face. "But couldn't you have taken me to a place that makes salad or something?"

Momo's shoulders shook from her laughter. "Sorry! I was basically panicking while I was planning everything. I didn't even think to take you somewhere with lighter options... I also tried to look up advice on how to approach this topic, but, well... all of the results were either not helpful at all or in English."

"I suppose it's the thought that counts," Mina said, glad to hear that her friend had tried her best for her. She still felt slightly uneasy though. She lifted her head when she saw the woman from earlier arrive with a steaming hot plate of japchae.

“I'm back! Now, there’s plenty for both of you, especially with the extra noodles I asked the cook to make for you!”

“Oooh! Thank you!” Momo picked up her chopsticks and clicked them together, ready to begin her feast.

“You two enjoy! Call me over if you need anything else!”

“Yes, ma’am,” both girls replied.

Upon the woman's exit, Momo was about to dig in when she saw Mina grimace at the plate.

“Mina?”

Mina knew that it was a bad idea to not eat, but the thought of losing her figure was still terrifying.

Momo pouted and grabbed some noodles, holding them up to Mina. “Please?”

“I don’t know… The fear is still there, Momo. I know we just talked about it and all, but I’m still scared.”

Momo sighed. She wasn't sure at all about how she was going to convince Mina that not eating at all wouldn’t help her out. If only they could get someone else’s help, then Momo wouldn’t have to struggle to find the right words.

“Hey, let me show you something,” Momo said suddenly. “I just now remembered something I watched on the television.”

Mina watched as Momo pulled out her phone and searched for a video. She didn’t know what kind of video it would be and why she wanted to show it to her now, of all times. Momo found the video, adjusted the volume on her phone, skipped ahead to the part she wanted, and handed it to Mina. The girl in question pressed play and instantly recognized SISTAR’s Soyou; it was a clip from a survival show she had participated in as a trainer.

“What’s this?” Mina looked at Momo questioningly.

“Just watch.”

So she did.

 _“I’m sure all of you are trying to lose weight_ ,” Soyou began, dressed in exercise clothing. She was surrounded by many girls, all clad in different colored clothing. Soyou was addressing them all from the front of the training room. “ _Personally, I don’t like to starve myself to lose weight. When you lose weight like that, it all comes back_.”

Mina sucked in a breath. The reason her friend showed her this particular video became apparent.

“ _And you become weak, too. Also, you’re more likely to trip and fall when you perform on stage. Girl groups dance a lot, so they need to be physically strong._ “ The girls before Soyou looked surprised to be hearing those words coming from their trainer.

Mina paused the video and locked Momo’s phone. She already knew what was going to happen next. She'd watched the show as it was being broadcasted live, after all.

“Our senior said it best. We’re in a girl group, Mina.” Momo ducked down a bit to catch Mina’s eyes. “We have to be strong. Not eating is only going to hurt you.”

Mina sat back and slid down her seat. Soyou and Momo were right. She did feel a lot weaker just with these 20+ hours of not eating. If she kept this up…

Mina sat back up and nodded uneasily. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. I mean, if our senior Soyou said it, then she knows from experience.”

“Exactly. We’ve taken advice from many other seniors before, and it’s always helped us improve. This is no different. So let’s improve now, when we have guidance.”

Mina, for a brief moment, wondered why Momo was always painted as an idiot. When she spoke like this, when she worried about her friends and helped them through tough situations, her brilliance really shined through.

“I love you,” Mina said, surprising Momo and herself a bit. She had no idea why she said that so out of the blue, but the emotions within her pushed her to. She grasped at her shirt as she recalled the feeling. It was exactly the same sensation as the one from last night, when she felt the desire to kiss her members. Her friends.

As if she had read her mind, Momo leaned in and placed a kiss on her cheek.

“I love you too, Mina. So much more than you think.”

* * *

Momo watched as Mina focused on helping her put on her padded jacket, her tongue sticking out in that cute way she loved.

It was a nice moment of peace after the chaos the older lady caused by calling her granddaughter to tell her that Momo and Mina were there. She’d thrown a fit and demanded her grandmother take photos with them. They complied, feeling it wasn’t a terrible idea, and posed in three photos with the older woman.

Now, the woman was gone, attending the last of the guests for the night.

Momo and Mina had just called their managers to get picked up and were now getting dressed for the cold winter night.

Perhaps Momo was still giddy about being able to help one of her bestest friends overcome a toxic desire, or maybe the japchae had hit the perfect spot, but Momo felt something deep within herself move her to stop Mina’s hands from continuing their job of snapping the jacket’s buttons.

Mina looked up, her wrists in Momo’s hands, unsure of what was going on.

“Mina…”

“Yeah? What’s wrong, Momoring?”

“Hurry up and put on your jacket. I, uh, I think you should start on yours. I can finish buttoning up my own.” She threw in a smile at the end of that, hoping it looked natural. “The managers said they wouldn’t be far at all, and we don’t want to keep them waiting, right?”

That’s not at all what she wanted to say! Why did she say that?

“You’re right. Fix that second button, though, I think I did it wrong.”

Momo used the time spent fixing the stubborn button to think about what she had /wanted/ to say. She wasn’t really sure. It was something scary, maybe, because she panicked and said something completely different. That only happened when it was something bad, right? No one tries to hide nice things, do they?

But she wasn’t really hiding anything. So then why wouldn’t her thoughts organize themselves? She wanted to know what was stirring within her!

The button finally fixed, Momo directed her attention toward Mina, who was finishing up with her own buttons.

“I’m ready! Let’s go!” Mina grabbed Momo’s hand, opening the door to the outside world.

Momo shivered, having gotten used to the warmth of the restaurant, and buried her face deep into her jacket.

Their managers had parked at the farthest space possible, and at the moment, Momo found it absolutely annoying. Why not park right in front? Didn’t they know it was absolutely freezing outside?

Frustrated, Momo rolled her eyes and caught a glimpse of the moon. Normally, Momo would just think it’s pretty, like it always was, but it seemed that all the events that unfolded that very day had changed her heart enough to be captivated by the sight of it.

 _It’s beautiful_ , she thought. _The moon is beautiful tonight._

That’s all she needed to think before it finally dawned on her. The sensations within her finally made sense, and Momo’s pulse began to race.

“Wait!” Momo was about to say it!

Mina screeched to a halt and turned around dramatically. “What?”

“I love you! I finally realized it, and I don’t know why it took so long, but I love you! So so much!” Momo’s heart burst with such happiness, the words she’d wanted to formulate for so long finally out in the air.

The wind blew into Momo’s eyes but she still caught sight of the huge smile on Mina’s face.

“Right now? While we’re at risk of getting frostbite, you want to tell me that?”

Raising her chin, Momo nodded.

“God, you dork.” Mina seemed to want to turn back and continue on her trek to the van, but seemed to think twice about it. The younger girl bit her lip and said “I love you too, Momo. Now let’s get in the van so I can kiss your cheek. Okay?”

That was all Momo needed. She lifted her friend up, bridal style, and ran toward the van like her life depended on it.

The managers welcomed them back and they settled in the van, rubbing their arms like crazy to soothe the goosebumps.

“Well?” Momo said, a satisfied smirk on her face.

“Well, what?” Mina pretended to not know what she was talking about.

“You promised me a kiss? We’re in the van now!”

“Hmm. Guess I did.” Mina giggled softly and leaned in.

Momo wasn’t sure if it was done on purpose, but the kiss was placed dangerously close to her lips, right at the corner. This shook her to the very core, and if it weren’t for Mina placing her head on her shoulder, Momo was sure she would have floated away into space.

Struggling only a bit, Momo managed to think a few words before her brain could effectively shut down.

_Do you love me too?  
_


	6. MiHyun- Picnic

“Come on, go ask Mina out already, you coward!” Dahyun practically growled out.

Jeongyeon stopped in her tracks as she was entering the kitchen, feeling attacked suddenly.

“Excuse me?” 

Dahyun spun around, not realizing that anyone would overhear her. “J-Jeongyeon?”

The older Korean laughed awkwardly and shuffled up to the younger member, wrapping an arm around her. “Were you talking to me, or..? Because if you were, let me tell you, you’ve got your days confused, buddy. It’s _your_ turn today.”

“No way!” Dahyun shook her head profusely and hugged Jeongyeon back. “I would never! I was just...talking to myself. I-I’m just…” She trailed off, unsure of how to word it without using self deprecating words.

“Can’t work up the courage to go up to Mina and ask, right?” 

Dahyun thanked the stars Jeongyeon always knew what was going on with her. “Yeah. I’m scared. She’s seemed to have a nice day with every single person so far and that’s making me feel pressured. Like, I feel like I’m not good enough to make her as happy as the others have. My idea isn’t as cool or as creative as the others’ were. The moment I tell her what we’re going to do, I feel like I’ll have to look away for a second to give Mina the chance to deflate and look disappointed without worrying about hurting my feelings.”

She felt like she had said too much, but Jeongyeon has always had an aura that comforted you and made you feel like you could tell her anything. 

“Dahyun, it’s okay. Mina loves you! She loves all of your ideas, and she’ll love this one! I promise!”

Dahyun scowled slightly. “You don’t even know what my idea is, though.”

“See? Even I love your idea, and I don’t know what it is.” Jeongyeon laughed and played with Dahyun’s hair, patiently waiting for the girl to let go of her torso.

“Hmm. I guess.” It really was a nice thought, but… “I’m going to be sincere with you. I’m just all messed up from yesterday. It was my turn, but Momo begged me to switch days with her. It gave me a whole day to think about where I was going to take her and everything, and…”

“And it made you second guess everything, huh? Like suddenly your idea felt like an awful one?” As Jeongyeon said this, Dahyun wondered if maybe Jeongyeon was able to read minds. She was _way_ too good at this. 

“Yes…”

Jeongyeon looked straight into Dahyun’s eyes. “We all love you and your unique ideas, dork. I can pretty much promise you that Mina is gonna love whatever you choose to do with her today. Beyond that, there’s not much else to tell you.” Jeongyeon carefully removed Dahyun’s arms from herself and turned the younger girl in the direction of Mina’s bedroom door. “Don’t think about it anymore. Just go.”

Dahyun went. With a little shove from Jeongyeon, of course, but she needed it.

_Maybe Jeongyeon is right_ , Dahyun thought. She really didn’t have to overthink everything. Mina had never done anything to make her feel like she’d reject her or undervalue her.

Yeah! Of course Jeongyeon was right! Mina would love her idea!

Yeah! Yeah!

Dahyun strode into Mina’s room and… almost turned right back around.

She was not expecting Mina to be accompanied by Jihyo.

They were both knitting together, working on different ends of what looked like one scarf. They seemed totally focused on what they were doing, so they didn’t notice the youngest girl at all. That was good news for Dahyun, who lost all courage at the sight of their leader. Maybe if she just snuck out and pretended she was never there, she cou–

“Ack!” Dahyun tripped on something and hit her head against the floor, her arms immediately coming up to cradle her head. She could barely hear the two older members drop their knitting needles over the loud thumping in her head.

“Jihyo, she tripped on Nayeon’s shoes!” 

Mina’s shouts were probably not even shouts at all, but it seemed Dahyun’s ears were sensitive right now, so she shut her eyes tightly and gripped her head even tighter in an attempt to drown her out.

“God d–“ Jihyo stopped herself before cursing in front of Dahyun. “Jeez, I’m going to scold her when she gets back! This is the- oh my god, Dahyun, are you okay? You’re bleeding a little.”

Dahyun felt Jihyo touch her nose and groaned in pain. 

“N-noooo… don’t touch it,” she whispered, unable to gather the strength to speak any louder. 

“I’m sorry! I don’t think it’s broken, Mina. There’s no bleeding from, like, within the nose. Only the cut on the bridge is. What do you think?”

Mina leaned close to Dahyun with a worried expression. Dahyun avoided her eyes, self conscious about the closeness, even at a time like this. 

“It’s swelling, but that can happen even if it’s not broken, so I’m not too sure either. Dahyunnie, can you breathe through your nose?”

She tried it and found that she could. Nodding at Mina, she rolled on her side and let out a curse, surprising both Jihyo and Mina. Jihyo was about say something about it, but maybe it was best to let her express her pain for the moment. She’d talk about her language with her at a different time.

“S-Sorry, it slipped out…” Dahyun sat up with the help of Mina. 

“It’s fine.” The Japanese girl studied her nose for a second before saying “I think you’re going to be fine. If you can breathe, then your nasal passages aren’t blocked, I believe. That’s good. I don’t think it’ll be necessary to visit a doctor. Dahyun? Do you feel like you’ll need a doctor?”

“I don’t. The pain is fading away everywhere except where the cut is.”

“Okay. Jihyo, could you get some bandages and alcohol?”

Jihyo got up and ran to the bathroom to fetch what Mina asked for. Meanwhile, Mina helped Dahyun get up.

“The cut isn’t bleeding anymore. It was at first but it’s stopped, thankfully. When Jihyo comes back with the alcohol, I’ll clean you right up, okay, Dahyunnie?”

Dahyun felt her face flush. “I mean, I can clean it myself, Mina.”

Mina laughed and gently pinched Dahyun’s cheek. “I know, but you’re my baby. I feel like I have to.”

“Waaah, I’m not a baby,” Dahyun whined, not pushing away Mina’s hand.

“You’re not _a_ baby, you’re _my_ baby.”

The Korean girl was sure that her own face was as red as Chaeyoung’s strawberries, the ones by the windowsill.

“Okay, okay, you win. But please don’t tell Chaeyoung you babied me, she’d make fun of me for a whole week!”

Mina made the _okay_ sign with her hand just as Jihyo walked in with everything that was needed. Using her own phone as a mirror, Dahyun watched as Mina wiped the cut on her face with a cloth and alcohol, then as she carefully placed a butterfly closure on it. It looked much bigger than she had imagined, and with the butterfly closure, it was bound to attract more eyes. 

“There we go. It should heal super quickly with the butterfly bandage, Dahyunnie.” Mina studied the cut for a few more seconds before closing the first aid kit and handing it to Jihyo. “Just check on it and clean it up whenever you remember to.”

Jihyo sighed and angrily kicked Nayeon’s shoes, making one of them fly across the room. “I’m gonna go. I have to call and scold Nayeon for not doing what I’ve told her to do a billion times! I _told_ her they’d cause someone to trip eventually…” She turned to Dahyun and her expression softened. “I’ll tell her to come home and apologize to you, Dahyun.”

“No, no, it’s fine.” Dahyun waved her hands, really not wanting to attract more attention than she already had. She was so embarrassed about this whole thing and just wanted to forget about it. “You can scold her for leaving her shoes all over the floor, but I don’t need an apology. Really, Jihyo, it’s fine.”

“Fine. That’s up to you.” Jihyo turned to Mina. “I think we’ve knitted enough for today. I’m going to take a bath now, okay?”

Mina nodded, her hand softly rubbing Dahyun’s hair. Once Jihyo left the room, Mina pulled Dahyun onto the bed she shared with Sana and pulled her close.

“Dahyun? You’re actually okay, right? That was a nasty fall.”

“Yeah,” Dahyun replied, getting lost in the way Mina held her. “My only problem is that the bandage could attract a lot of eyes if I go out. People might take pics and post them with captions like 'That looks so ugly' or 'Her face is ruined now!'”

“Ah.” Mina nodded. “Don’t worry, you don’t look weird. Momo and I recently talked about the pressure idols feel to look perfect, even when we're not. You have a cut that needs protection from the environment, Dahyun. The bandage is necessary, and people are going to have to deal with the fact that you're human. The bad Netizens never really care about us. They say things to make us feel bad about ourselves and never bother to look at the facts. Besides, it makes you look kind of cool.” Mina got off the bed and held up her fingers like as if she was holding a camera and looked at Dahyun through them. “In fact, you look like the cool main character of a video game with the butterfly closure. Maybe people will write articles praising you for looking cool or something? The butterfly closure makes you look tough, like you’re living in a post-apocalyptic world and you just got patched up."

“Like a weathered hero, huh?” Dahyun giggled. “Only you could turn this dumb cut into something interesting, Mina.”

Mina jumped on the bed and laughed as she smothered Dahyun in hugs. “Because you do look like a cool video game character! Everyone likes those tough protagonists that know a thing or two about fighting, like Lara from the Tomb Raider series.”

Dahyun had no idea who Lara was, but if Mina liked her, then she was totally okay with being compared to her.

“Do you like scars or something, Mina?”

“Hmm. Yeah, I think I do. It’s like moles to me; they add character to a person!”

“So,” Dahyun felt a sly smile form on her face, “Is that your type? A guy with scars or something? If they ever ask us a question regarding our type on a radio show, you know what to answer now!”

“A...guy…with scars?” Mina frowned. Something about it felt wrong. “I don’t know. Maybe.” Something was off about that thought, so she decided to change the subject really quick. “What about you? What’s your type?”

“Well,” Dahyun said with a laugh, “it sure isn’t a man with scars on his face! I haven’t thought about it much, to be honest. I want to focus on our career first, then, maybe when we’ve been active for a while, start to think about starting a relationship.”

“Just because you’ve thought about your ideal type doesn’t mean that you’re totally ready for a relationship, Dahyun. It’s just a fun little thing to think of.”

“Perhaps,” Dahyun said, her fingers finding their way into Mina’s, “but either way, I really haven’t thought about it. Maybe I will. Maybe I’ll find out that I’m also into people with cool facial scars.”

Mina didn’t respond. She just played with Dahyun’s fingers.

“Mina? Did you hear me?”

Despite trying to avoid it, Mina was, unfortunately, thinking about what Dahyun had said before. Was a man with cool scars really the kind of person she looked for? That didn’t seem right. But how could it be wrong? She was definitely attracted to tough characters, especially those with scars! She tried to think of characters she had really liked as a child. 

Samus Aran of the Metroid series, Lara Croft of the Tomb Raider series, Bayonetta, Yuna from Final Fantasy… Wait—

“Mina!”

Mina was in the middle of realizing something when Dahyun snatched her hands away from her grip. 

“Huh? What?”

Dahyun rubbed her hand. “You were squeezing my hand really hard. It kinda hurt.”

Mina frowned and grabbed Dahyun’s hands again, this time rubbing them gently. “I’m so sorry. I was thinking about something and I guess I didn’t realize I was tightening my grip on them.”

“I guess it’s fine. What were you thinking about?” The Korean relaxed once more, noticing how easy it was to do so in Mina’s presence. 

What _was_ Mina thinking about? It seemed like every trace of it had completely escaped her. It was sad, because Mina was fairly sure that she was about to come to a realization of some sorts. Something within herself told her so. “I’m not sure. I lost my train of thought.”

“Oh. Sorry, Minari. All I had said was that I’ll think about what my ideal type is. What’s yours? You sound like you’ve thought about it!”

“Well, I’m not too sure about it either. All I know is that I want something as cute as my parent’s relationship.”

Dahyun leaned her head on Mina’s shoulders, thinking about the Japanese girl’s parents. “Really? Is it something you look up to?”

“Yeah, actually. They’re not perfect, of course, but they work out their problems immediately! They don’t let things stay bad. My dad is just as good of a listener as my mom is, so both feel appreciated and like their opinions matter in the relationship.”

“That sounds like an amazing relationship where they both put their all into it!” 

Mina laughed and squeezed Dahyun’s hand. “Absolutely. They’re also totally down to give up things for each other. Not really big things that sound silly, but small things.”

Dahyun sat up. “What do you mean? Small sacrifices?”

“Mmm. For example, my father loves chocolate. He could eat a whole bar if he wanted to, but he always shares half of it with my mother. He knows he won’t be satisfied with the half he got, but it’s a small thing that, in the grand scheme of things, won’t really matter. Some people would think it’s no big deal, but I know better. Sometimes the tiniest gestures mean the most.” Mina paused and shook her head. “That didn’t make sense, did it?” 

Dahyun smiled and shrugged a little bit. “I understood what you meant. And that’s cute. They’re kind to each other always, and it’s something that I’ve always noticed whenever we see them! You’re very lucky to have such amazing examples of what a relationship should be like!”

“Thank you! Sorry to bore you with this talk about relationships. You probably came in here looking for something, right? You don’t usually come into this particular room for no reason.”

Dahyun’s shoulders stiffened. “Umm. Well it wasn’t a boring conversation at all. It was nice. and I pretty much started it! B-but, yes, I came in here for a reason…”

“Is...is it your turn?” The excitement in Mina’s eyes was unmistakable. Dahyun didn’t expect to see Mina get so excited at the prospect of hanging out with her. Feeling emboldened by this, Dahyun nodded.

“Y-Yeah! It’s my turn to take you out!”

Mina jumped off the bed. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get ready!”

Dahyun watched as Mina got dressed, a smile plastered on her face. Mina? Getting this excited _for her_? She’d been afraid that her idea for the date would suck, but maybe...maybe no matter what, Mina would appreciate it a lot. Jeongyeon had absolutely been right!

“Where are we going?” Mina asked, pulling her shoes on. 

Dahyun hopped off of the bed and smiled at Mina. “You like picnics?”

Mina jumped up and down, clearly excited. “I’ve wanted to go on a picnic since forever! But wait, isn’t it freezing cold outside?” She pulled out her phone and checked the weather.

“Nope!” Dahyun stepped closer to Mina and allowed her to check the temperature. “It’s unusually warm today, especially for this time of year. So we better hurry, because we won’t be the only ones to notice the good weather! Everyone else is going to steal all the good picnic spots!”

Mina put her phone away and frowned a bit. “Wait. Where are we going to have the picnic?”

“Oh. Nowhere special. Just... the Han River.”

Mina’s eyes widened and her heartbeat quickened. “You’re right, let's go now before all the good spots are taken! Is the van ready?”

“Is the van ready?” Dahyun repeated,  quirking an eyebrow. “No? I just now managed to tell you about the picnic, silly!”

* * *

 

The van had been ready. 

Mina had no idea who had informed their managers that they were ready to go, but somehow, when they went up to the managers to tell them about the picnic, they had already known and had preemptively started the van.

Mina was sure that somewhere out there, there was a god specifically for making sure that Mina didn’t have to wait for the van to heat up. 

Dahyun, on the other hand, was quickly texting Jeongyeon to say thanks, both for helping her work up the courage and for informing their managers of her plan.

Glancing out the window, Mina excitedly watched the cool skyscrapers whiz by. She couldn’t believe she was going to the Han River! It’s not like she hadn’t ever been there before. She’d been there many times, both as a trainee and as a debuted idol, but that didn’t matter. Each and every time she went to the Han River, it was like going for the first time. The view was just...breathtaking. Whoever designed the park, Mina hoped they got a nice check.

She looked down at the cute picnic basket on her lap. In it were two American-style ham sandwiches, a few water bottles, two cans of Pocari Sweat, and some jellies. Dahyun insisted they only bring that, in case there were also street vendors around. She promised Mina that she’d buy her anything if there were some vendors around, and Mina wouldn’t deny the younger girl that pleasure.

As Mina daydreamed about the day she was about to have, Dahyun scrolled past a few images on her phone.

Lara? From some Tomb Raider series? _That_ was her? Dahyun scratched her head. She supposed the girl on her screen looked a little cool, but Dahyun was sure she herself looked a lot cooler. Mina had practically swooned at the sight of Dahyun’s scar, after all.

She scoffed quietly and, as she locked her phone, she suddenly became aware of herself. Why did she care so much? Why did it matter to her whether Mina found her cooler than some fictional character? 

Maybe her insecurities were rearing their ugly faces again. That was fine. Spending time with her friends always helped her ease any worries she had, and, well, today was just the perfect day for that! Mina always listened intently to anything Dahyun told her, whether it was about insecurities or just any random thing, and gave her excellent advice. 

Mina lightly touched Dahyun’s hand. “Dahyunnie? You’re staring off into space.”

She blinked a few times before looking at Mina. “I was?”

“Yeah, you were! I guess we’ve both been thinking too much, huh?” Mina laughed and leaned into Dahyun. “I hope we don’t do that during the date. We have to _talk_ to each other, right? This is why we’re out here! To enjoy each other’s presence!”

Dahyun had short circuited at the word “date”.

Had she heard that right?

“Date?!” Dahyun asked, a little too loudly for her liking. The manager sitting in shotgun gave her a shocked look. Dahyun bowed and apologized, feeling a blush creep down her neck. 

“Yyyyes? Date!” Mina cocked her head. “Is this not technically a date? Us hanging out and spending time together?”

Dahyun felt her hands shake in excitement. A date with Mina… Never had anything sounded so right.

“Ah, well…” Dahyun completely forgot what Mina had said after mentioning they were on a date. Good thing their managers called out that they had arrived!

“Do you want us to come along?” One of their managers asked, and Dahyun thought about it. The idea didn’t appeal to her at all, so she suggested they stay in the van. Or do anything they wanted, as long as her and Mina got private time.

“Okay, then, I’m sure I don’t have to go over the rules with you two. Keep a low profile, so keep your heads down most of the ti–“

Dahyun threw the door open and jumped out. “Yes, head down, call you if anything goes wrong, don’t stray too far. We got it. Come on, Mina, let’s go before all of the good spots are taken!”

Mina followed wordlessly, waving goodbye to their managers before shutting the door closed.

“Dahyun, what’s the hurry?” Mina said after a bit of walking. “You didn’t even say goodbye to the managers…”

Dahyun shrugged, eyes scanning for a good spot to sit. “Dunno. Guess I just want to start our date already?”

Mina rolled her eyes. “Okay, but don’t be so hasty next time. Be nice! They drove us all the way out here!”

Dahyun poked Mina’s side and gave her a playful grin. “Yes, _dear_ , I’ll apologize when we get back. Let’s go already, though.”

Mina bit her lip. “Dear?”

Dahyun was already walking toward an empty spot, but spun around quickly to reply. “Yes, honey?”

Mina giggled and rolled her eyes once again. “Gosh... Where’d that come from?”

Dahyun wasn’t sure either. “I think I’m just excited! I’ve waited, like, four days for this, and it didn’t really hit me until now that it’s finally happening! Sorry if it’s too much, I’m just getting rid of the excess excitement, hehe.”

“It’s cute,” the Japanese girl noted. “So it’s okay. You’re not like this with me that often. Usually it’s with Momo and Sana that you get all cute and flirty with, so it’s a little surprising, you know?”

Dahyun couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows at this. “Do I? I mean, mostly flirt with SaMo? I’ve never noticed this.”

Mina slowed with Dahyun, finally reaching a good secluded spot. Mina set down the basket and began unpacking things. “Really? You do it so often that our fans have started noticing it too. You’re not very subtle about it, so it’s weird to hear from you that you’re not aware of doing it.”

Dahyun smoothed over the blanket, distracting herself as she waited for Mina to finish. A blush crept up her neck at the thought of their fans knowing that she was weird and flirty. “It’s not, like, really bad, right? I don’t do it to the point where it’s cringy, right?”

“No,” Mina looked up from the basket for a second, “but I do get a little envious.” She ended it with an attempt at a wink. Dahyun laughed and joined Mina in the middle of the blanket.

“No need to be envious,” Dahyun said as she unwrapped a sandwich, “I’m here now. All of my attention is on you.” 

“I suppose you’re right,” Mina replied, showing Dahyun her disarming gummy smile. 

They enjoyed their sandwiches in comfortable silence, exchanging goofy expressions every now and then to try and make the other laugh.

“You know, at first I’m always really nervous,” Mina said at one point, after she finished her sandwich.

“Hmm?” Dahyun munched on the last of hers, looking over to see Mina in a contemplative state.

“On all the dates I’ve been on with you guys. I’m always nervous, and I don’t understand why. You guys are my group mates. I’m with you almost 24/7, and yet, when it comes to these one-on-one interactions I’ve been having with the members, I’m scared to do something wrong or say something dumb. Like they’re strangers or something and you don’t know what they think of you.”

“It’s a little odd. But you’re not nervous right now, right?”

Mina shook her head. “No. You guys always make me feel comfortable immediately. Like my body suddenly remembers that I’ve known you guys for years and it says ‘Oh, okay, let’s relax’. It’s kind of dumb, but I wanted to let you know.”

“It’s not dumb! Just a little weird. Everyone get nervous or insecure sometimes though! Even around people you’ve known for a long time!” Dahyun knew this from experience. Just earlier she was scared to ask her to go out on this date! “But I’m really glad to hear you’re not nervous right now.”

“You being silly always helps the nerves go away.” Mina poked Dahyun’s side and laughed when Dahyun jumped away.

“What do you mean?” Dahyun asked as she rubbed her side, pouting.

“You know when we go on variety shows, right? We’re always really nervous and scared to talk? We’re afraid to slip up on television and therefore end up looking really stiff?”

“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Dahyun had no idea where Mina was going with this.

“Every time, every single time, you throw yourself into the spotlight and do silly and fun things to make us laugh and loosen up! The PDs will put on music and you jump up from your seat and start doing random dances and crazy faces!” Mina waved her arms like as if she was pretending to be Dahyun on a variety show. “Then another member jumps in, usually Momo, to make sure you’re not the only one that looks funny, and before you know it, all of the TWICE members are jumping around and having fun! _That’s_ when the real fun starts and the MCs seem to be more comfortable around us. Literally all thanks to you.”

“I-I mean, I don’t think it’s all thanks to me. It’s not always… Actually, is it always me?” Dahyun was a little shocked at Mina’s observation. She didn’t think anyone cared or even noticed her sacrificing her pride.

“It’s always you,” Mina scooted closer to Dahyun. “I like to think that we’re as popular as we are all because of you. People invite us all of the time to appear on their shows because we’re fun and talkative, guess why? That’s right, because of you!”

Dahyun hid her face in Mina’s lap. “R-really? You think so?”

Mina played with the younger girl’s hair. “I do. You’re so funny and cute, Dahyunnie. I wish I was just like you. I wish I could be wild and crazy and help people loosen up.”

“If you want to help me look like a fool on television, then be my guest,” Dahyun said, not opening her eyes. She was really relaxed in Mina’s lap. 

“I’d have to be funny for that to work, though.”

The young Korean cracked an eye open. “You’re funny, Minari. Don’t say that.”

Mina put all of Dahyun’s hair on top of her face and laughed as Dahyun tried to blow it out of the way. “I’m not as funny as you. I would just make everything awkward.”

Dahyun reached up and touched Mina’s face. “First of all, you’re _v_ _ery_ funny. Not awkward at all! Don’t say you’re not, please. Second of all, you don’t have to worry about making people laugh to let loose. What you always do is good enough.”

Mina let herself melt in Dahyun’s touch. “And what is it that I do?”

“You listen to people. There’s been many times where I’m worried about something and it bothers me a lot. Like, I couldn't focus on anything except the thing that was bothering me. It could’ve possibly distracted me from a performance or whatever we were about to do, but you always talked to me about it. Listened to me carefully and gave me advice.”

Mina bit her lip, wondering if it was enough. Dahyun seemed to sense this, as she pulled Mina down closer to her, their faces extremely close. The Japanese girl stared into the younger girl’s eyes. 

“It’s just as important as making others laugh,” Dahyun began, making sure to keep her eyes locked onto Mina’s. “Life isn’t always about laughing away everything. What you do, which is keep your ears open to us, is necessary too. Talking about what worries us and letting everything out is so therapeutic, Mina, and when you give us advice, it's even better.”

Dahyun had no idea what was going on with herself. All of these words were slipping out like as if she’d been holding them back for so long. Maybe it was because they were finally alone, or maybe it was the fact that Mina was close to Dahyun. Really, really close.

“You’re incredibly important, Mina. Not just to the team, but to me too. You really have no idea.”

Mina was surprised. She hadn’t really thought about how important she was in the group. Before, she had honestly considered herself as useless. She’d really felt like she didn’t have a role in the group, no real purpose, unlike Jihyo, who’s clear purpose was being a main vocal and their leader. But what Dahyun was saying… It really struck her how much she was appreciated for just being herself and listening to others.

“Is all of this true?” Mina asked Dahyun, her heart melting at Dahyun’s words.

Dahyun nodded wordlessly, seriousness etched on her face. Mina laughed in delight and kissed the younger girl on the forehead. It was a tender one, full of love and gratefulness.

Dahyun’s stomach growled and Mina laughed once more. She got up and dusted herself off, reaching a hand out to help Dahyun up, as she was still on the blanket laying down. “I’m still a bit hungry, too, so let’s find a street vendor and eat a bit more! You promised!”

Dahyun was frozen, staring at Mina as she walked away, searching for a street vendor. Her hands were shaking, not from the breeze, but from the sudden realization that maybe girls like Mina were her ideal type.

Dahyun sat up and shook her head. No, or wasn't girls _like_ Mina. It was...it was Mina. She was in love with Mina, plain and simple!

Dahyun got on her feet and ran after Mina, overwhelmed by the fact that she finally understood her own feelings. 

Mina heard a shuffle behind her, so she turned around, not at all expecting the bear hug that came only seconds after.

“Whoa! Dahyun? Are you alright?”

“It’s you! It’s you!” Dahyun buried her face into Mina’s chest, her words a little muffled. Mina didn’t know what to do other than hug her back. What did Dahyun mean by that? _It’s you?_

Dahyun squeezed Mina one last time before peeling herself off of her. 

“What’s wrong?” 

Dahyun shook her head, a big smile spreading across her face. Nothing. Absolutely nothing was wrong. “I just, I just got this immense need to tell you that-“ Dahyun faltered, excited about saying it out loud, “Th-that I love you! With all of my heart!”

Mina giggled, and, oh, how beautiful it was to Dahyun’s ears. It always had been, but now the Korean girl finally understood why she had always found it so addicting. Mina reached out and grabbed Dahyun’s hand, holding it tightly. “You’re such a cutie. I love you too, Dahyunnie!”

* * *

 

Dahyun had offered to buy Mina anything she could possibly want from the long line of vendors set up along the sidewalks of the park at the Han River. Mina swore that she was okay with the hotteok and tornado potato she already had, but promised she’d let Dahyun know if she wanted anything else.

Now they were in the back of the van on their way back home, both girls leaning against each other with their hands connected tightly. Dahyun thought Mina was asleep until she heard her whisper.

“Dahyun? Thank you.”

“For what, Mina?”

“For today. You really helped me realize my own worth. Sometimes I read comments on the internet and let the ones that call me ‘useless to the group’ get to me, but I see those are wrong.”

Dahyun scooter closer to Mina and wrapped her arm around her. “It's like you said, Mina. Netizens will criticize us for everything, but they're wrong about us more often than not. You’ll never be pointless, Mina. We say it to the fans all the time, and they’re not empty words: ‘Twice is not Twice without all nine members.’ We all have multiple purposes, and not one is more important that the other.”

Mina smiled to herself. “You’re right.”

Dahyun grinned. “I love you.”

“You already told me that,” Mina replied, the smile evident in her voice.

“I know, but I’ll tell you as much as I can. I love you a whole lot.”

Mina sighed contentedly and closed her eyes. “I love you too, Dahyun.”

Dahyun rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and accidentally peeled off a little bit of her bandage.   


_Oh_ , she thought to herself, _I had completely forgotten that I had this on!_ Mina had once again helped her with an insecurity. Before, she had thought that it would bother her for the rest of the day and not be able to focus on anything else, but after talking with the Japanese girl about it, she had not even felt the thing on her face at all!

She turned to Mina and shook her shoulder, trying to get her attention. "Hey, Mina, look, you even helped me out with this! Mina?"  


Mina was fast asleep on Dahyun's shoulder, snoring lightly, completely unbothered by Dahyun's attempts to wake her up. 

"Cutie," Dahyun whispered, deciding that she could talk to her about it in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! Can you guess who's next?


	7. MiHyo- Roller Rink

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't forgotten about this fic! Just had trouble writing it a bit! But I have persevered, and it's up now! Enjoy!

Mina rolled over and found the area next to her empty. 

She had been woken up by the cold and the blankets she had were not enough to keep her warm. She needed Sana’s body warmth or else, she assured herself, she’d absolutely die of hypothermia. Raising her head to look for Sana, she found that Jihyo and Nayeon were also nowhere to be seen. The room was empty except for Mina.

_ That’s strange… _

As if on cue, there was a light knock on the door. Sana stuck her head in, her bright smile giving Mina the energy to sit up. Mina noticed that her friend had a toothbrush in her mouth and that her bed head was gone. Why was Mina the only one still in bed? Was everyone already up getting their makeup done?

“Hi, Minari, good morning! Is everything okay?”

Mina shook her head.. “I just woke up and…” She suppressed a pout. “...And you weren’t here! Neither are Nayeon and Jihyo… What’s going on?”

Sana opened the door a little more to lean on the door jamb. “Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but… Our managers got a call from Park Jinyoung. Apparently a song that was just released today has a bit of choreography that looks a lot like the one we have in our upcoming comeback,” Sana said as she demonstrated that part in particular. “He wants to avoid crazed fans accusing us of copying and wants us to come into the studio and replace that part with a new move. Jihyo agreed that we should all come into the studio today.”

The younger Japanese girl sighed and fell back into the bed. “I thought we had _free days_! This isn’t fair, we’re not supposed to have schedules or practice today!”

Sana pulled the toothbrush out of her mouth and frowned, sad that Mina was frustrated. “I know, Minari. I know. We’re all upset. Especially Chaeyoung, who was going to meet up with her brother today. She’s going to have to cancel that. But you know how it is. It’s either we learn a new choreo for that small part or we endure hate from fans claiming we ‘plagiarized’ that dance move from their idol. Jihyo explained it to us the same way Park Jinyoung explained it to her, and it makes sense.”

“We always get hate, Satang. What’s a little more? It literally can’t get any worse than it already is!” Mina had a sudden thought. “Actually… Who’s the artist?”

The older girl grimaced and told her.

 

Mina threw the covers over her head and suppressed a scream. “Never mind! If we get hate from _that_ fandom, we’re dead.”

Sana nodded and stopped leaning against the door jamb. “Exactly. I know it’s hard, Minari, but Jihyo was right to make the decision to give up our free time. We need to learn new choreography.” She made a motion to leave, but seemed to remember something. “Oh, and sorry for not waking you up. All of the bathrooms are full and all of the hair stylists are already busy doing some of the members’ hair. I thought it would be a good idea to let you sleep a little more, even if it’s just five minutes. You’d just be standing there waiting otherwise! I’ll come back and let you know when the bathrooms were free, ok?”

Mina smiled, understanding. “Thank you, Satang. That’s really kind of you.”

Sana winked at her then went to finish brushing her teeth. 

Mina didn’t go back to sleep, but still closed her eyes as she stressed about the day that was about to come.

Replacing a move in their song’s choreography would be difficult. They’d practiced what they already had for two whole months, since this was a big comeback, and all of it was almost second nature to them by now. It would take many, many tries to get used to even this small change, and even then, the choreographer would ask them to do it many more times. It could take all day, depending on herself and her group members.

Mina felt bad for the girl that was supposed to take her out today. She wondered if their plans for the day had been ruined because of this sudden change of plans. 

Which girls were left? 

After a bit of thinking, Mina remembered that Sana, Jihyo, Jeongyeon and Nayeon were the only members that hadn’t gone on a date with her yet, and all of them were very level headed and super dependable. She was sure they would be able to come up with something to make up for it on the spot.

* * *

 

Except... now it was very late in the afternoon. Practice had gone on for hours due to Mina and Tzuyu’s inability to get one part down right. Both of them apologized to the choreographer profusely and continued to do their best, and now they were all heading home after a grueling eight hours of practice.

Mina checked her phone and the screen displayed a big 6:29 PM. There was no way that anyone could arrange things quickly enough for them to enjoy some time together. Everyone would want to shower and rest after their hard work.

Mina had pretty much given up on going out, sure that there was no way anyone would want to go out so late, so she headed to her room where she planned on playing video games until she was able to shower. 

She found Jihyo there, talking on the phone excitedly. That was good, because a few members gave Jihyo a hard time today during practice. While they understood the circumstances, they couldn’t help but tease her and make her work twice as hard for agreeing to take their free day away. Mina found it good that Jihyo was able to take it like a champ and still come out of the intense choreo practice in good spirits.

The young Japanese plopped down on her bed and rubbed the arms that were sore from the intricate hand movements their dance called for. 

For a second, she wondered if the ‘girl of the day’ was sad or upset that she wouldn’t be able to take Mina out today. Mina sure was. She was becoming addicted to finding out who’s turn it was and learning where their date would take place.

Briefly, she glanced at Jihyo, who was making wild hand gestures as she spoke to whoever was on the other side of the phone. She wondered if the leader was the girl of the day.

No way, Jihyo wouldn’t give up her date with Mina, would she? She was the one who had agreed with Park Jinyoung to cancel their free day, so it couldn’t be her. Jihyo was probably the member Mina was closest to nowadays, and Mina was sure Jihyo felt the same. Jihyo would probably do her best to make sure nothing happened to their special day.

But actually… Mina squeezed the pillow in her arms at her intrusive thought.

_Did_ Jihyo feel the same? The time they spent together, did her friend love it and appreciate it as much as Mina did? If the girl of the day was indeed Jihyo, then that would hurt. It would mean that Jihyo would rather work and dance than spend time with Mina.

Mina shook her head, banishing the thought that her friend, the one that loved and cared for her, the one that spent hours knitting with her yesterday, didn’t enjoy Mina’s presence.

Sana had explained it very clearly that morning why they had to work. If it was Jihyo’s turn today, it wasn’t that she didn’t care about skipping her date with Mina. She would be protecting her and her group mates from hate and ‘plagiarism’ allegations. Obviously!

Right..?

Again she shook her head and threw the pillow to the side. Yeah, it definitely had to be someone el—

“–you so much!” Jihyo’s megaphone-like voice interrupted Mina’s thoughts. “I owe you big time! How about I take you and Eunbi out for ramen sometime...? Okay. Okay. Yes! I’ll see you then! Once again, thank you so much!” Jihyo hung up and noticed Mina. 

Oh. She was talking to GFriend’s Yerin, Mina assumed. Jihyo, Yerin and her group mate Eunbi were really close, often going out and eating ramen at GFriend’s dorm.

Envy made its way into Mina’s veins.

“Oh, hi Mina! I didn’t notice you were there. You ok?” Jihyo bit her lip, a sure sign she was worried. Why? 

Mina nodded, swallowing the envy. Now was not the time. “Yeah. Little tired, but I’m alright. Sorry for listening in on your conversation, by the way.”

Jihyo shrugged and made her way toward Mina. “It’s fine. You would have found out about it soon enough anyway!”

“Found out about your phone call? What do you mean?”

Jihyo grabbed Mina’s shoulders and gave them a small squeeze. “You’re not too tired to go out, are you? Because I just set something up for us!” The world’s biggest smile shone upon Mina. “Surprise! Today it’s me!”

Upon hearing that, it was like Mina’s body had never gone to practice that day, like she had never doubted Jihyo’s love for her. She was infused with so much happiness that she felt like she was about to explode! The thrill of finding out who the secret girl of the day is never failed to excite her!

“You know what, I suddenly feel like I could run a marathon!” Mina joked, jumping up and down. Jihyo beamed, impossibly filling up Mina’s internal battery. “But what did that phone call have to do with this? What did you mean by ‘ _you would have found out about it soon_ ’?”

A sly smile crept onto Jihyo’s face. 

“Whaaaat? You’re not gonna tell me?” Mina asked after Jihyo put a finger to her own lips, as if to say that it was a secret. “You have to tell me!”

“All you need to know is that it’s gonna be fun!” Jihyo hip-bumped her and made her way to the closet, already picking an outfit. The sly smile found its way back. “Get dressed, Minari. Choose something you can move around in. And sweat in.” 

“W-where exactly are you taking me? Why would I get sweaty?” 

“I already _told_ you, it’s a secret! You’ll see when we get there!”

Mina raised her arms in defeat, accepting the fact that Jihyo wasn’t about to spill anything. Once the Korean girl had a plan, nothing could stop her from exacting it.

“Okay… I trust you! You’re lucky that I love surprises.” Mina raised an eyebrow at Jihyo, trying to look cool, but the older girl just laughed at her expression. Mina laughed too, the excitement making its way through all of her body.

“It’s kinda cold outside, by the way, so do you want me to tell the managers to get the van ready? You know, to warm it up while we get ready?”

“Got it covered!” Jihyo said, giving her the OK sign. “You didn’t look _t_ _oo_ tired when we arrived, so I assumed you’d accept my invitation to go out and asked the managers to keep the van on while you and I got ready!”

Mina narrowed her eyes, but kept quiet. She should have known better than to doubt the Van Gods.

* * *

 

The excitement crept back up Mina’s spine the moment she looked out of the window. She didn’t recognize anything, meaning that they were in a totally different district. Jihyo was really about to take Mina somewhere unexpected.

Rubbing her arms to calm the goosebumps of cold and excitement, she glanced over at Jihyo, who was peacefully looking out the window, just as Mina had been only moments before. The older girl sensed she was being watched and gifted Mina with a warm smile. 

“You look really excited, Minari!”

“Of course I am! These past few days I’ve been hanging out with my friends, getting to know them and understand them on a deeper level than I could have ever imagined. I’m anxious to spend some time with you, Jihyo, and I’m glad we’re not going to feel pressured to hurry and have fun. We have all night!”

Jihyo was clearly happy with the response she got because she giggled. “I’m glad you’re not mad at us for taking your out of our room and explore the real world.”

Mina sat back and nodded thoughtfully. “If someone had told me two weeks ago that I would be impatiently waiting every day to go out with you guys, I’d call them crazy. But now… it’s amazing, you know? Every morning I awaken with the joy of knowing that one of you girls is going to surprise me with an incredibly thoughtful date. Instead of spending all day thinking about what movie I’m going to watch next, I’m wondering what cool place my friends are going to take me to and what new things I’ll learn about them.”

Jihyo leaned in and gently held onto one of Mina’s hands, looking at it as she spoke. “I can’t tell you much, even if you might already know more than you let on, because it’s a secret, but I _can_ tell you that what you just said is exactly the kind of thing we wanted for you. There’s nothing wrong with what you do, like playing video games and all that, but– well, we missed you. We wanted to spend more time with you.”

Mina rubbed her thumb against Jihyo’s knuckles, reflecting on her friend’s words and what it all meant. She wanted to say so much, but despite being able to articulate it perfectly inside her head, whenever she tried to thank her friends for this wonderful experience, nothing good would come out. 

Also, it felt good to know that her earlier feelings were unfounded. Jihyo had made sure to do both things today; they practiced and perfected the new dance moves _and_ she found a place that they could spend time together, and for that, she was grateful. She wasn’t even really sure why she had been so envious of Yerin and Eunbi. Really, it was so irrational and embarrassing.

Jihyo was unaware of the internal struggle Mina was having and let go of her hand. She shoved her face into the window, obviously looking for something specific. 

Once she saw it, she quickly turned back to Mina and rubbed her hands excitedly. “We’re almost here. Just a few more minutes.”

Mina’s muscles tightened, suddenly feeling tense. She had absolutely no clue about where Jihyo was taking her, save for the fact that she’d be moving and sweating a lot. 

Jihyo pulled something out of her purse and it seemed like Mina’s muscles tensed up even more. It was a sleeping mask.

“Put this on. I wanted a blindfold, but this’ll have to do. C’mon!”

Mina took the item from the Korean girl and held it gingerly. “W-why?”

Jihyo just shrugged playfully, saying it was to get Mina more hyped up. 

“Uh, okay…” Mina handed the mask to Jihyo so that she could put it on her. Jihyo gladly did so, and Mina was then enveloped by darkness.

“Don’t worry, Minari. You won’t be blindfolded for too long. I’d say we’re about...5 minutes away. Relax. I’m not taking you to a scary place.”

_Relax?_ _Easier said than done,_ the Japanese girl thought as she tried her best to do as she was told. Instead, her hands started shaking and her legs began to get restless. She wasn’t scared. She was excited, so much so that her body couldn’t contain it. She heard Jihyo laugh a little bit, but ignored it.

When the van finally stopped, Mina heard their manager in the shotgun seat speak. 

“Remember the rules. They’ve always been the same. Don’t stray too far, don’t attract too much attention. We’re only a phone call away. Now have fun!”

Jihyo grabbed Mina’s hand and helped her out of the van, making sure she didn’t fall along the way. Safely on the ground, she grabbed the blindfolded girl’s shoulders and led her towards the building—or what Mina assumed was a building— before them. 

Mina’s shivering was out of control now. It didn’t help that it was incredibly cold outside and that her knees were wobbly.

“There are some steps ahead of us that go down. Be careful,” Jihyo instructed, and before she knew it, Mina overcame the stairs. 

At the bottom of said stairs, there was something in the air that Mina couldn’t quite place. A buzz that was barely there, yet absolutely present. That changed the closer they got to their destination. It grew, somehow, shaking Mina to her core.

They seemed to walk for hours, though Mina knew it was less than a few minutes. The sound of her footsteps echoing in the silent area they were at just made everything seem more eternal, like they were walking down some endless hallway.

“Let me get the door,” Jihyo said eventually, and after hearing a creaking door being forced open, Mina was suddenly overwhelmed with a deep bass coming from speakers somewhere to her right. Was that what she had felt in the air earlier?

There was a loud rolling sound somewhere in front of her, and someone shouted over the music.

“Okay, take it off now, Minari.”

She wasted no time. The blindfold was off in a flash, and Mina found herself in an impossibly large, industrial looking area that was only illuminated by neon lights that hung on every wall and the sparse industrial lamps that hung off the ceiling. 

There were a few people in skates going around a huge wooden floor, and it dawned on Mina where exactly they were. Mina looked at Jihyo in surprise, not expecting her to take her to a roller rink. The older girl just winked at her and led her to the area where one can rent skates.

“Whoa!” Mina gawked at the live DJ in one corner. “I haven’t been to a roller rink with live music before!”

“I knew you’d like it! I’ve been here a few times myself and it’s probably the coolest part about this whole place!”

Mina’s lips formed an ‘o’ as Jihyo continued toward the employee in the skate rental area. As Jihyo was about to explain the differences between each kind of skate and how the wheels affected the skater, Mina recovered from her wonder and raised an arm, giving her a small smirk. 

“No need. Back in Japan, I used to skate with my friends all the time.” She pointed to the kind of skate she knew she needed. “Did you think I’d never done this before?”

“Admittedly, yeah, I thought I had found something that you’ve never tried before, but hey, at least this means we’ll have more fun competing, since you’re definitely not a beginner and all.” The last part of her sentence was joined by a playful shove. Mina recovered and stuck her tongue out.

“Well, I’m definitely no expert! I’m not cut out for roller derbys, but I sure can speed skate faster than the average girl.” Mina quickly bowed in thanks when the girl at the desk handed her the skates. “Wanna race? There aren’t many people around.”

Jihyo chose her skates as well and led Mina to a separate area to put them on. She sat and finally answered the Japanese girl’s question. 

“Depends. What do I get if I win?” 

Mina tapped her chin, pretending to think about it. “Hmm. How about… a kiss?”

Jihyo dropped her skate loudly. She scrambled to get it, looking around in hopes that no one heard the crash. Once sure no one did, she widened her eyes in Mina’s direction. “ _What?_ “

“I’m kidding! God, your face is so red right now!”

Jihyo finished tying the laces and cupped her own cheeks in hopes to stop the pink from spreading. “That came out of nowhere!”

Mina shrugged. She was in a good mood. “Perhaps. But don’t worry. I know that a kiss isn’t worth all that trouble.” She turned in her seat and spotted an area where one could purchase snacks. “Okay, how about this? You buy me rice cakes if I win. If you win, I’ll buy you whatever you want. Sounds fair, right?”

Mina found Jihyo staring through her, as if she was lost in her own thoughts.

And she was. Jihyo was still stuck on Mina’s offer.  _A_ _kiss? What did that mean? Mina isn’t the type to flirt like this..._

Jihyo hadn’t ever really thought about it, but she wasn’t totally against it. Even if it was just a kiss on the cheek, the thought of it actually happening made Jihyo’s face flush more than it had before and her heart race faster than a skater.

“Jihyo? Hey!”

Startled, Jihyo snapped back to reality.

“Huh?” She had somehow managed to half listen to what Mina said, so she quickly recovered with “Oh. Yeah. I’m down. I think they sell gelato not too far from here, so if _I_ win, I’d like that.”

Mina finished with her skates and stood up. “Sounds good. There’s no way you’ll win, but I’m down if you’re down. Let’s go!”

Carefully, they made their way to the rink. Mina made small talk on the way.

“So, how’d you heard about this place?”

Jihyo smiled instinctively. “The Source Music building isn’t far from here, so Yerin and Jung Eunbi from GFriend showed me this place! In fact, they’re the ones I called before. It’s the conversation you overheard. I had planned something else, but this unexpected dance practice changed everything.”

“So you called them up for a favor?”

“Yeah! They told me this place was open at this hour and even paid for the skates and everything.”

“Wow, that’s nice of them…” Mina recalled her earlier intrusive thoughts and cringed, feeling stupid that she had felt envious of their relationship with Jihyo all the while they were helping Jihyo with her date with Mina. 

“We’re here!” Jihyo gestured to the nearly empty rink. “So how are we gonna do it? Most laps in five minutes or what?”

“What do you usually do with your friends?” 

“Well, usually Yerin, Eunbi and I warm up a little bit, then race and see who can do five laps around the rink first. Yerin usually wins, but I’m pretty good at it too!”

“Let’s do that, then! Maybe I’ll impress you!”

Jihyo nodded, making a show of warming up before starting. “You’ll definitely impress me. I haven’t seen you race yet, but I’m honestly preparing myself to lose already. You said you’ve already skated before, so that means you’ve definitely had years of practice before. You’re always good at whatever you do!”

Mina blushed, but hid it by imitating Jihyo and stretching too. “You think so?”

“Totally! I think that I’ll be inviting you over with Yerin, Eunbi and I so that we can skate together. They really seem to like you, so this is the perfect opportunity!”

Mina’s blush grew too big to hide and Jihyo caught a glimpse of it despite Mina’s best efforts to act like she was just stretching. Those words were just what Mina needed. The thought that Jihyo loved her so much that she even wanted to invite her to spend time with her other friends… 

“Wow,” she said aloud, startling Jihyo a bit.

“Wow? What are you thinking about?”

Mina giggled and finished stretching. “I’ll tell you when I’ve won.”

Jihyo rolled her eyes and shrugged. “Or you can tell me once _I’ve_ won. That sounds much better.”

“Oh, you’re on. I can taste the rice cakes already.”

The skating rink was pretty much empty by now, all of the other patrons of the rink heading home to sleep. This was perfect for Mina and Jihyo, who were getting into position.

“And I can taste my gelato already too! Five laps, remember that, loser!”

“See you then, loser!” Mina shouted, starting without letting Jihyo know. 

“Hey!” Jihyo let out a laugh as she watched Mina cheat, then laughed harder when the Japanese girl tripped and fell on her butt.

“That’s what you get, cheater,” Jihyo said as coolly as she could as she skated past Mina. Mina scrambled to get up, but she was laughing too hard to help herself up and ended up falling over again.

“Help!” Mina managed to say between fits of giggles. “I can’t- I can’t get up!”

Jihyo smirked at her, ignoring her pleas for help. She made one lap around the rink before feeling pity for Mina, who was still on the floor, her giggles calming down but still totally there. The older girl fake sighed and slowly made her way to Mina.

“Gimme your hand,” Jihyo ordered, a stupid grin on her face growing while Mina struggled to get up.

She wasn’t sure why Mina was laughing so much, because despite falling over being hilarious, it wasn’t _t_ _hat_ hilarious. (But gosh, this laugh of hers was contagious.) She found herself laughing as well, and when Mina pulled on her arm to help herself up, she pulled a weakened Jihyo down and both fell on the floor. 

Mina’s face was red from the nonstop laughter, and Jihyo could all but stare at her friend. 

Was...was she always this cute? The way she hid her smile behind her hand, the way her eyes crinkled, her gummy smile… The desire to kiss her was unbearable.

Instead, her brain opted for something less impulsive.

“I love you.” She said it with all of her heart, hoping that it got the message across. The girl in front of her was beautiful, and Jihyo knew that she wanted to make her laugh like this for the rest of her life.

Mina slowly stopped laughing, her eyes wider than the moon. She looked at Jihyo, something shining in her eyes that couldn’t be deciphered.

“I– I love you too.” The stutter wasn’t hesitation. Mina was just a little shocked at the sudden confession. It caused a sensation in her heart that could only be described as pure adoration. Suddenly, the sparkle in Jihyo’s eyes was more beautiful than any star she had ever seen, especially when it was paired up with the cute smile that she was giving Mina right now… It made Mina’s smile return, wider than it had ever been this night.

Mina chuckled awkwardly, hoping she hadn’t been staring at Jihyo for too long, and slowly got up, making sure her skates didn’t betray her again. After dusting herself off, she outretched her hand toward Jihyo. “Let me help you up.”

The Korean took it kindly.

“I’m going to tell you the truth,” Mina began, rubbing her face as she spoke, “all that made me feel like I just gained a six-pack. I’m so tired already.”

“Sounds like you’re just chickening out from the race, Myoui.” She sent her a little wink to let her know she was teasing.

“Not chickening out,” Mina pouted, “just postponing it for another day. How about we just skate? No racing, just going around and having fun?”

“Sounds good.” Jihyo felt merciful and agreed to race some other day. 

“Sorry for bringing you down with me. I was just so weak from laughing so much that…” 

“I know,” Jihyo answered, knowing Mina wasn’t sure how to finish her sentence. “It’s okay. You’ve always been the type to get giggling fits...along with Sana. It’s cute though.”

Mina gave her another gummy smile and grabbed her hand. “Thank you. Let’s skate like this,” she said.

“As long as you don’t fall over and pull me down again, then of course!” Holding Myoui Mina’s hand was always a pleasure.

“No promises!”

They found out they skated at around the same pace, making it super easy for them to hold hands and skate. 

They didn’t fall anymore, much to Jihyo’s relief.

After about thirty minutes, Jihyo received a message from their managers.

“They’re asking if we’re almost done,” Jihyo said to Mina. The small frown on Mina’s face saddened Jihyo.

“Tell then that we will be soon.”

“Well, we can stop skating now. I think we’ve done a fair amount of skating, don’t you?”

“I think we should sit and cool off first,” Mina suggested, pointing to the nearest seating area. “I’m way too sweaty to walk out into the freezing cold.”

Jihyo agreed and together they sat at an open booth.

“Thanks for warning me, by the way. If you hadn’t told me to wear clothes that I can sweat in, I would have worn a sweater and thick pants! Imagine that! I’m sweaty enough as it is, but in _that_ getup, I would have died after the first five minutes!”

“Right?” Jihyo laughed, but her next thought sobered her right up. Was it okay to mention it to Mina? 

Maybe it was for the best to bring it up carefully.

Jihyo looked at her nails as she spoke. “I hope you had tons of fun. I just hope you’re not too tired tomorrow. I don’t want you to be moaning and groaning about your sore muscles during your next date.”

“Oh, I can assure you, I’ll be fine. I’ve endured worse. Remember, during promotions, all we ever do is dance.” Mina winced at the memory of their last comeback. It was the most tiring one of all, and no amount of hot baths helped at all. “For weeks on end, that’s all we do. A little bit of dance practice followed by skating isn’t too much for me.” 

She almost changed the subject but the faraway look on Jihyo’s face stopped her.

“Jihyo?” She looked like she had something to say. Mina could see it easily.

“Hmm?” 

The Japanese girl inched forward, letting her friend know that she was willing to listen to whatever was on her mind. All Jihyo did was cross her arms and sigh, though she was probably thinking up a way to talk about it. 

_It must be something that’s really bothering her,_ Mina thought just as Jihyo matched Mina’s seating position.

“I’ve been worried that you guys are actually mad that I decided to make us go practice today. I feel like… like maybe you think that I should have consulted with you all before doing that.” Jihyo’s expression changed into one of deep thought. Clearly it had been bothering her for a long time. “It’s the first time in a long time that we’ve gotten so many days off and, well, I took that away. I know I did.”

Mina placed her hand in Jihyo’s, hoping that it would stop the tears that were brimming in her leader’s eyes. 

“I didn’t really think much about it until I bumped into Chaeyoung during practice. She wasn’t angry, but she definitely looked upset. I tried to talk to her and, you know, apologize, but the choreographer wanted us back into position, so I missed my opportunity.”

“And that’s been on your mind all day, huh?”

“Is it that obvious?” Jihyo chuckled a bit, the tears receding a bit. “It didn’t ruin the date, did it?”

“Well, no. I honestly didn’t notice it at all.” 

Jihyo nodded and closed her eyes. “I see. That’s good. I really would have hated it if you had noticed and became distracted by it. I didn’t want you to think I didn’t enjoy the date, so I tried my best at hiding it.”

Mina’s jaw tightened. Jihyo wasn’t crying, sure, but clearly this conversation wasn’t doing her any good. If she’d learned anything from these past dates with her friends, it’s that talking about your problems and rationalizing your thoughts is supposed to help. Maybe Jihyo needed some help with that. 

And so, Mina got up from her seat and slid into Jihyo’s, linking her arms with the older girl’s. Jihyo looked confused, so Mina spoke quickly.

“Jihyo, listen, I know that I’ll never understand the pressures of being a leader. I’ll never know your thought process when you have to make last-minute decisions. Never. But trust me when I say that I know we’re not rookies anymore, and that because of that, you’re given more responsibilities. We’ve been TWICE for more years than I can count on one hand, so I’ve seen you make more and more decisions each and every passing year.” Mina wrapped an arm around Jihyo just to put the girl’s head down on her shoulder. Jihyo complied easily. 

“This morning, Sana explained it to me why it was important that we learn the new moves. At first I tried fighting it, but yours and Producer Park’s decision was a good one. Ultimately, you’re making sure we don’t get hate for looking like we’re copying another popular artist.” Mina paused, breathless from feeling like she had just spoken for an hour. But the peaceful look that graced Jihyo’s features was worth it. She could speak for an actual hour just to make her feel better.

Jihyo raised her head, probably to speak, but Mina put a finger to her lips. She still needed to say something.

“Wait. I know what you’re going to say. It’s about Chaeyoung being upset at you. Right?”

The Korean girl nodded wordlessly.

“Talk to her about it. Soon. You couldn’t during practice, but at the dorms, you’ll have enough time. Be kind and be considerate. You know exactly why she’s upset. She loves her brother and had been waiting for so long to meet up with him. But she also. Loves. TWICE.” Between every pause, she squeezed Jihyo even harder. “If you explain well, she’ll forgive you, because she loves being in this group. I know she will, because you’re an amazing leader that loves her members, because she’s an understanding girl, and because you had a reason to decide what you did.”

Jihyo sighed, a smile creeping it’s way onto her face.

“You’re right,” was all she said.

Mina patted Jihyo’s head before letting her go. “And Jihyo? Don’t internalize things. Let it all out. If you’re sad, don’t hide it from us. Just because you’re our leader doesn’t mean you can’t lean on us. Promise me you won’t do that anymore?” 

Jihyo saw Mina hold up her pinky finger and placed her own around it. “I promise. I’m doing my best to be your leader, I swear, Mina.”

“I know! I can always tell.”

Jihyo felt the love for Mina within her swell. It gave her enough courage to speak up and say what had been on her mind when the negative thoughts weren’t.

“And my kiss?”

Mina’s eyebrows reached her hairline. “Kiss?”

Jihyo tapped her cheek. “Yeah, you promised me one, remember?”

Mina rolled her eyes, recalling that it was only said playfully. “Hmm. I don’t. Are you sure I promised one? I jokingly suggested kissing you if you won, which, by the way, you didn’t.”

“I think I deserve it, though!”

Mina could hear her own blood pumping in her ears. She stood up and winked at Jihyo, pretending her words had no effect on her, then turned toward the door. “How about this? Take me out here again soon, and we race. Then, if you win, I’ll kiss you. If I win, you kiss me. Sound good?”

Jihyo really, really liked the sound of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm @jidubchaeng on twt c:


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